severely delayed

USAGE SUMMARY

"severely delayed" is a grammatically correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it when referring to something that has been significantly delayed beyond its usual timeframe. For example: "The project is severely delayed and won't be completed until next month."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

As development goes, the severe dysfunction of our childhood probably resulted in severely delayed or stunted emotional growth.

Huffington Post

At 5 months of age, he had severely delayed motor development, hardly any head control, severe truncal hypotonia and intermittent episodes of opisthotonus.

Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology

It added that several thousand passengers using Paddington on 27 December were affected by cancelled and severely delayed services.

The Guardian

Missense mutations of the SLACK C-terminus have been reported in several patients with rare forms of early onset epilepsy and in some cases severely delayed myelination.

Neuroscience

Others provided answers that were incomplete or severely delayed.

The New York Times

"It made it impossible to learn and it severely delayed my academic career," Cooks said.

The Guardian

Airbus's A380 super-jumbo was severely delayed mainly because of wiring problems.

The Economist

The error "severely delayed" nearly 8% of flights across Europe according to Eurocontrol, the European organisation for air navigation safety.

Independent

New electronic counting machines also severely delayed results with excuses ranging from excessive static to dust in the air and collapsing tables.

The Guardian

The imperative to give him the benefit of the doubt severely delayed our entry into this fray, which has cost many Libyan lives.

The New Yorker

More than one-fifth of trains have been cancelled or severely delayed for much of the year since April, even without strikes.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a project or event, use "severely delayed" to clearly communicate the lateness and its potential impact. For instance, "The construction project is severely delayed due to unforeseen material shortages".

Common error

Avoid using "severely delayed" for minor postponements. Reserve this phrase for situations where the delay is significant and has substantial consequences. Using it lightly can diminish its impact when describing genuinely critical delays.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "severely delayed" functions as an adverbial modifier that intensifies the adjective "delayed". It indicates the degree to which something is delayed. As shown in the Ludwig examples, it's often used to describe tangible things such as 'flights', 'services', 'trains' as well as more abstract concepts like 'development' or 'progress'.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

46%

Science

46%

Wiki

3%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "severely delayed" is a grammatically correct and commonly used phrase that functions as an adverbial modifier, intensifying the adjective "delayed". It's employed to emphasize the extent and potential impact of a delay across diverse contexts such as News & Media and Science, as identified by Ludwig. While versatile, it should be reserved for situations where the delay is genuinely significant, as Ludwig AI pointed out. Semantically related alternatives include "significantly postponed" and "badly held up". Its frequency is high, and its register is neutral, making it suitable for both formal and informal communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

significantly postponed

Focuses more on the act of postponing and the degree of postponement, suitable when the delay's impact needs emphasizing.

seriously impeded

Indicates a significant obstruction hindering progress, emphasizing the hindering aspect.

majorly set back

Highlights the regressive nature of the delay, indicating a loss of progress.

drastically slowed down

Focuses more on the reduction in speed or activity due to the delay, suitable for processes or movements.

badly held up

Suggests an obstruction or impediment has caused the delay, implies a disruption more than just lateness.

heavily impacted by delays

This emphasizes the effect of delays rather than the delays themselves; suitable if emphasizing the consequences.

considerably behind schedule

Emphasizes the deviation from a planned timeline; useful in project management contexts.

critically hampered

Highlights that the delay is due to a significant impediment, which is now critically impacting progress.

extremely protracted

This emphasizes that the delay has made something continue for an unexpectedly long time.

substantially retarded

A more formal term that indicates the hindering or slowing down of progress to a significant extent.

FAQs

How can I use "severely delayed" in a sentence?

You can use "severely delayed" to describe something that is significantly behind schedule. For example, "The flight was severely delayed due to bad weather" or "Her speech development was severely delayed".

What are some alternatives to "severely delayed"?

Alternatives include "significantly postponed", "badly held up", or "majorly set back", depending on the context.

When is it appropriate to use "severely delayed" versus "slightly delayed"?

"Severely delayed" indicates a substantial and impactful delay, while "slightly delayed" suggests a minor postponement. Choose the phrase that accurately reflects the degree of lateness.

Is "severely delayed" formal or informal?

"Severely delayed" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts. Its appropriateness depends more on the situation and the severity of the delay than on the formality of the setting.