Select the most appropriate synonym of the given word: DILATORY

Correct — D. Dilatory means slow to act, or intended to cause delay, as in dilatory tactics.

Tardy means slow to act, or later than expected. Both name delay, so the synonym is Tardy → option (d).

Keep dilatory apart from dilate, to widen. The two only look alike: dilatory goes back to Latin dilator, a delayer.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Quick — Quick means moving fast or done in a short time. It is the direct opposite of dilatory, so it belongs to an antonym item, not a synonym item.
• (b)
  Efficient — Efficient means working well with little waste. It judges effort against output, not speed, and delay points the other way, so it cannot be a synonym.
• (c)
  Prompt — Prompt means done without delay, or on time. That is the exact reverse of dilatory, and it stands with punctual on the no-delay side.

A synonym item turns on the word's core sense. Dilatory has one: delay, whether through slowness or by design.

Quick, Efficient and Prompt describe speed or good working, so they stand on the opposite side. Tardy is the lone option that names lateness.

The word also has a legal use. A dilatory plea is one that delays a case without answering its merits.

Key facts

• Dilatory means slow to act, or intended to cause delay.
• Tardy means delaying or delayed beyond the right or expected time.
• Dilatory comes from late Latin dilatorius, delaying, and is unrelated to dilate, to widen.
• Quick, prompt and punctual all sit on the opposite, no-delay side.

Common traps

• Linking dilatory with dilate, to widen, and looking for an option about expansion
• Picking Quick or Prompt after misreading the instruction as antonym

No directly related past PYQ was found.