latency

7 synonyms and 1 antonym for latency, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — The delay between an action and the response to it, especially the time data takes to travel across a network.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

delay

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

lag

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

response time round-trip time dormancy quiescence latent state

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun computing

The delay between an action and the response to it, especially the time data takes to travel across a network.

“High latency makes the game unplayable even when the download speed is fine.”

delay lag response time round-trip time

2. noun

The state of existing but not yet being active or visible.

“The virus can remain in latency for decades before symptoms appear.”

dormancy quiescence latent state

Opposites

visibility

How to use latency

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

low latency high latency network latency latency spike reduce latency

Technical in the network sense; more formal and medical in the dormancy sense.

Etymology

From Latin latere, "to lie hidden", by way of latent.

Full origin of latency →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between latency and bandwidth?

Bandwidth is how much data can move per second; latency is how long a single piece of data takes to get there. A satellite link can have huge bandwidth and still feel sluggish because every request takes half a second to arrive.

Is latency the same as ping?

Ping is the everyday name for a measurement of latency, usually the round-trip time in milliseconds reported by the ping tool. Latency is the general concept; ping is one way of measuring it.

What counts as good latency?

For online gaming and video calls, under about 50 milliseconds feels immediate and over 150 becomes noticeable. For ordinary browsing, latency of a couple of hundred milliseconds is barely perceptible.

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delay visibility lag quiescence dormancy

Nearby words

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