late vs now

late

adv
  • Not long ago; just now. 

  • After a deadline has passed, past a designated time. 

  • Formerly, especially in the context of service in a military unit. 

noun
  • A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place late in the day or at night. 

adj
  • Not having had an expected menstrual period. 

  • Associated with the end of a period. 

  • Levied as a surcharge on a payment received after a deadline. 

  • Deceased, dead: used particularly when speaking of the dead person's actions while alive. (Generally must be preceded by a possessive or an article, commonly "the"; see usage notes. Can itself only precede the person's name, never follow it.) 

  • Existing or holding some position not long ago, but not now; departed, or gone out of office. 

  • Specifically, near the end of the day. 

  • Recent — relative to the noun it modifies. 

  • Near the end of a period of time. 

  • Of a star or class of stars, cooler than the sun. 

  • Not arriving or occurring until after an expected time. 

now

adv
  • At the present time. 

  • Used to indicate a context of urgency. 

  • Sometimes; occasionally. 

  • Used to address a switching side, or sharp change in attitude from before. (In this usage, now is usually emphasized). 

  • Used to introduce a point, a qualification of what has previously been said, a remonstration or a rebuke. 

  • At the time reached within a narration. 

  • Differently from the immediate past; differently from a more remote past or a possible future; differently from all other times. 

conj
  • Since, because, in light of the fact; often with that. 

noun
  • The state of not paying attention to the future or the past. 

  • The present time. 

  • A particular instant in time, as perceived at that instant. 

intj
  • Indicates a signal to begin. 

adj
  • Fashionable; popular; up to date; current. 

  • Present; current. 

How often have the words late and now occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )