tarry
Stay too long
Tarry means to delay or linger, to stay longer than intended: Don't tarry—we need to leave soon.
The word is literary and old-fashioned, suggesting unhurried loitering or reluctance to depart: He tarried at the inn until morning.
Separately, tarry (rhymes with "starry") means covered with or resembling tar: tarry residue on the pipes.
Stay beyond necessity
- dawdleLinger without purpose
- loiterRemain idly in place
- dallyLoiter without purpose
- procrastinateDelay action unnecessarily
stall · wait · pause · hesitate · temporize · dillydally · shilly-shally · lag
Viscous hydrocarbon mixture
- asphaltPetroleum-based paving material
- pitchFrequency of sound
- blacktopDark paving material
- creosoteCoal-tar distillate for preservation
sealant · roofing · caulk · petroleum · macadam · pavement · waterproofing · distillate
Vulgar or slightly sticky
- adhesiveMaterial that bonds objects
- gummySticky and soft
- viscousThick and slow-flowing
- glueyTending to stick
resinous · gooey · clingy · thick · clammy · cohesive · tenacious · bituminous
Slow to act
- unwillingOpposed to participating
- reluctantUnwilling to act
- loathStrongly reluctant
- disinclinedAverse to acting
resistant · foot-dragging · hanging back · holding back · wavering · demurring · balking · stalling
linger
Stay beyond necessity
procrastinate · stall · wait · pause · hesitate · temporize · dillydally · shilly-shally · lag · idle
bitumen
Viscous hydrocarbon mixture
creosote · sealant · roofing · caulk · petroleum · macadam · pavement · waterproofing · distillate · residue
tacky
Vulgar or slightly sticky
gluey · resinous · gooey · clingy · thick · clammy · cohesive · tenacious · bituminous · coating
hesitant
Slow to act
disinclined · resistant · foot-dragging · hanging back · holding back · wavering · demurring · balking · stalling · putting off
- black tarCrude, dark street heroin
- tar pitsNatural bitumen pools
- tarring with the same brushUnfairly judging group by individual
- tarred and featheredVigilante punishment involving hot pitch
- tar and featherVigilante punishment coating victim
- tar sandsBitumen-saturated sediment deposits
tar, tardiness, tarred, tarring, tars, tarrying, tarried, tarries