adj. 1
Near the end of a period of time.
The meeting is convened for late morning.
adj. 2
Specifically, near the end of the day.
It was getting late and I was tired.
adv. 1
After a deadline has passed, past a designated time.
We drove as fast as we could, but we still arrived late.
adv. 2
Formerly, especially in the context of service in a military unit.
Linda Smith, late of 13 Oxford Street.

Related words

Phrases: as of late get late late riser late lamented late blight late binding casually late fashionably late

Choose the right word

Late or Old?

That which is late is somewhat removed from the present, but not far enough to be called old.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

3 letters: new¹
4 letters: long¹, past¹, dead¹, deep¹, slow¹
5 letters: tardy²
6 letters: former², modern², recent², lately², erenow
7 letters: delayed², extinct², freshly², overdue³, belated³, sainted², tardily
8 letters: previous³, recently³, advanced², formerly³, deceased², departed³, backward², latterly
9 letters: belatedly⁴
10 letters: posthumous³, unpunctual
12 letters: unseasonable

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (tardy² = 2 syllables).