behindhand

C2+ Topic:Time

Also spelled behind-hand

US /bɪˈhaɪndˌhænd/ UK /bɪˈhaɪndhænd/ See IPA manual

adj adv

Meanings

1

adj
behind schedule or in arrears; late

He was perpetually behindhand with the rent.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · behind schedule or in... late tardy overdue delinquent backward remiss

Opposites

beforehand early ahead prompt

Word family

Related forms behind beforehand

Etymology

A compound of behind + hand, formed on the model of beforehand. Behind is from Old English behindan, from be- + hindan ('from behind').

behindan Old English hand Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Time

# behindhand

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj, adv
**IPA (US):** bɪˈhaɪndˌhænd
**IPA (UK):** bɪˈhaɪndhænd

## Meanings
1. behind schedule or in arrears; late

## Examples
- He was perpetually behindhand with the rent.

## Synonyms
- late
- tardy
- overdue
- delinquent
- backward
- remiss

## Antonyms
- beforehand
- early
- ahead
- prompt

## Related Forms
- behind
- beforehand

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: behindan
- Root: hand

## Etymology
A compound of behind + hand, formed on the model of beforehand. Behind is from Old English behindan, from be- + hindan ('from behind').

## AI Etymology
behindhand is a compound of behind + hand, formed on the model of beforehand. Behind is from Old English behindan, from be- + hindan ('from behind'). Morphologically, the word is transparent as a compound: its parts remain visible in the modern spelling, while the older history of those parts supplies the deeper ancestry. In modern use, the adjective sense is "behind schedule or in arrears; late", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as behind, beforehand, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Old English behindan, Old English hand, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Time

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behindhand

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