late bloomer
noun

- someone who becomes good at something after people usually become good at it

- someone who becomes successful, attractive, etc., at a later time in life than other people

Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The phrase "late bloomer" derives from gardening and botany, where a "late bloomer" literally refers to a plant that flowers later in the season than other plants of the same species. This horticultural usage dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

The transition from literal to figurative usage occurred in American English during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It appeared in American publications from the 1890s-1910s and was initially applied to:
- Students who excelled academically after struggling early on
- Athletes who developed skills later than peers
- Artists or writers who found success in middle age or later

The phrase reflects American optimism about second chances and the belief that success can come at any stage of life.

Today, "late bloomer" is widely used across English-speaking countries, though it retains its American origins. It's commonly applied to anyone who finds their calling, develops skills, or achieves recognition later than societal expectations might dictate.

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STILL BLOOMING AT 94!



Isabella Ducrot turned 94 this year, and she hasn’t let age interrupt her daily ritual of painting. Every day she walks from her Rome apartment atop the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj to a quiet studio tucked behind a colonnaded courtyard. After writing in the morning, she spends her day painting on Japanese paper with a brush tied to a stick, often closing her eyes and allowing the line to move freely, creating what she calls a “tender image.” “I almost close my eyes, and let the hand go.”

Ducrot has become one of the art world’s most beloved late bloomers—only beginning to make art seriously in her fifties and finding international recognition in the past two years. Her paintings are light-filled, lyrical compositions, featuring motifs like flowers, grids, and entwined figures. Often stitched with old textiles or fragments of handwriting, they feel both fragile and emotionally resonant.

In July 2024, the Consortium Museum in Dijon mounted her first solo museum exhibition outside of Italy, and dealers like Sadie Coles in London and Petzel Gallery in New York mounted solo shows that drew attention to her soft, collage-based compositions.

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SYNONYMS

autumn flower, came into their own, caught fire later, dark horse, evening star, eventual achiever, final-act hero, flowering late, found their calling (their feet, their groove, their stride), got their act together, hidden gem (talent), hit their peak later, hit their stride, late achiever, late arrival, LATE BLOOMER, late developer (starter), long fuse talent, long-game player, slow but steady, slow ripener (starter), took time to blossom (to flourish), unexpected achiever, vintage success

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

“It’s very gratifying to watch LATE BLOOMERS achieve success later in life.”