The degree to which an order or project task is past its due or scheduled date. Some systems prioritize action messages based on the items most late, or past due.

Delivery date minus due date. Lateness may be positive or, in the case of early jobs, negative. See: earliness, tardiness.

The state, condition, or quality, of being late; as, the lateness of his arrival; the lateness of the hour; the lateness of the season.

quality of coming late or later in time