Antonyms for delay
dɪˈleɪde·lay

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. delayverb

   Synonyms:
   put off, suspend, postpone, defer, forslow, put on ice, adjourn

2. delayverb

   previously unexpected period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying.

   Synonyms:
   put off, forslow, suspend, put on ice, defer, postpone, adjourn

3. delayverb

   To retard; to stop, detain, or hinder, for a time.

   Synonyms:
   forslow, suspend, put off, postpone, adjourn, put on ice, defer

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. delay

   To hinder is to keep from action, progress, motion, or growth, or to make such action, progress, motion, or growth later in beginning or completion than it would otherwise have been. An action is prevented by anything that comes in before it to make it impossible; it is hindered by anything that keeps it from either beginning or ending so soon as it otherwise would, or as expected or intended. It is more common, however, to say that the start is delayed, the progress hindered. An action that is hindered does not take place at the appointed or appropriate time; that which is prevented does not take place at all; to hinder a thing long enough may amount to preventing it. A railroad-train may be hindered by a snow-storm from arriving on time; it may by special order be prevented from starting. To retard is simply to make slow by any means whatever. To obstruct is to hinder, or possibly to prevent advance or passage by putting something in the way; to oppose or resist is to hinder, or possibly to prevent by directly contrary or hostile action, resist being the stronger term and having more suggestion of physical force; obstructed roads hinder the march of an enemy, tho there may be no force strong enough to oppose it; one opposes a measure, a motion, an amendment, or the like; it is a criminal offense to resist an officer in the discharge of his duty; the physical system may resist the attack of disease or the action of a remedy. Compare CONQUER; IMPEDIMENT; OBSTRUCT.

   See synonyms for QUICKEN.

   Synonyms:
   baffle, balk, bar, block, check, clog, counteract, embarrass, encumber, foil, frustrate, hamper, hinder, impede, interrupt, obstruct, oppose, prevent, resist, retard, stay, stop, thwart

   Preposition:
   Hinder one in his progress; from acting promptly; by opposition.

Matched Categories

1. • Wait

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:3.5 / 2 votes

1. delay, hold, time lag, postponement, waitnoun

   time during which some action is awaited

   "instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action"

   Antonyms:
   hurry, rush

   Synonyms:
   clutch, grip, storage area, keep, holdup, detainment, deferral, handle, hold, appreciation, handgrip, wait, cargo area, detention, postponement, waiting, custody, clasp, cargo deck, clench, clutches, grasp, time lag, deferment, cargo hold

2. delay, holdupverb

   the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time

   Antonyms:
   rush, hurry

   Synonyms:
   stickup, time lag, holdup, wait, armed robbery, postponement, heist, hold

3. delay, detain, hold upverb

   cause to be slowed down or delayed

   "Traffic was delayed by the bad weather"; "she delayed the work that she didn't want to perform"

   Antonyms:
   hurry, rush

   Synonyms:
   go, live, detain, stick up, stay, last, confine, hold up, hold out, hold, sustain, hold water, live on, support, check, retard, endure, stand up, withstand, defy, survive

4. delayverb

   act later than planned, scheduled, or required

   "Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered"

   Antonyms:
   hurry, rush

   Synonyms:
   retard, hold up, check, detain, stay

5. stay, detain, delayverb

   stop or halt

   "Please stay the bloodshed!"

   Antonyms:
   hurry, rush

   Synonyms:
   quell, bide, stick, stay, last out, confine, hold up, ride out, persist, check, rest, appease, remain, stick around, abide, retard, stay on, stay put, outride, continue, detain

6. check, retard, delayverb

   slow the growth or development of

   "The brain damage will retard the child's language development"

   Antonyms:
   rush, hurry

   Synonyms:
   checker, check, slow up, slow down, moderate, mark, slow, watch, look into, crack, check up on, arrest, go over, tick off, match, tick, fit, hold back, stop, ascertain, determine, assure, find out, agree, turn back, stay, check into, train, break, control, check off, check out, learn, curb, hold up, hold, see to it, see, chequer, discipline, mark off, tally, ensure, decelerate, hold in, suss out, detain, contain, check over, jibe, condition, retard, correspond, insure, gibe

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. delaynoun

   Antonyms:
   dispatch, promptness, expedition, haste

   Synonyms:
   deferring, deferment, procrastination, postponement, respite, reprieve, retardation, retention, obstruction, dawdling, lingering, dalliance

2. delayverb

   Antonyms:
   dispatch, hasten, expedite, facilitate

   Synonyms:
   postpone, defer, procrastinate, suspend, reprieve, retard, impede, hinder, obstruct, linger, tarry, dawdle, dally

Editors ContributionRate these antonyms:2.0 / 4 votes

1. immediate

   occurring or done at once; instant.

   "the authorities took no immediate action"

   Submitted by rinat on June 11, 2017  

2. compel

   Submitted by anonymous on December 16, 2020  

How to use delay in a sentence?

1. Chris Williams:

   I was not nervous, my wife was more than I, but it is my civic duty that my family fought for me to vote. I would have preferred absentee ballot or a delay, but here we are.

2. China Daily:

   The arrest of Huawei's CFO in Canada will significantly raise the uncertainty of China's 5G timing, since any China Daily export ban imposed on Huawei could either delay China's 5G rollout, or significantly reduce the scale near term.

3. John F. Kennedy, "A Thousand Days," by Arthur Schlesinger Jr. [1965]:

   Who can tell who will be the President a year from now? -- John F. Kennedy, speaking to the president of Harvard about why he did not want to delay signing documents relating to a future JFK Presidential Library, 2 October 1963.

4. Nick Calio:

   If there needs to be a delay or an extension in order to get transformational change accomplished, that's a far different situation than people arguing over funding, slots and other things.

5. John Eastman:

   I think if the vice president, as presiding over the joint session, would at least agree that because those ongoing contests have not been resolved, we can't count those electors. That, that, that means that nobody has a majority of the electors, and either they delay things -- so those constitutional challenges are resolved -- or they say,' OK, well, we don't have electors from those states, that nobody has a majority. This is going to Trump White House.'.

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