slow

[ sloh ]

adjective

, slow·er, slow·est.

1. moving or proceeding with little or less than usual speed or velocity:

   a slow train.

   Synonyms: unhurried

   Antonyms: fast

2. characterized by lack of speed:

   a slow pace.

   Synonyms: unhurried

   Antonyms: fast

3. taking or requiring a comparatively long time for completion:

   a slow meal; a slow trip.

   Antonyms: fast

4. requiring or taking a long time for growing, changing, or occurring; gradual:

   a plant of slow growth.

5. made, created, or done in a careful, thorough, or traditional way in order to ensure such benefits as quality, environmental sustainability, or time for mental reflection: What's known as slow journalism is an approach to reporting that avoids superficial headlines and instead focuses on in-depth storytelling and a more considered analysis of events.

   Give slow tourism a try as you leisurely explore this charming island, soak in the surrounding nature, and savor local encounters.

   What's known as slow journalism is an approach to reporting that avoids superficial headlines and instead focuses on in-depth storytelling and a more considered analysis of events.

6. sluggish in nature, disposition, or function.

   Synonyms: slothful, lazy, indolent, dilatory, sluggardly

7. dull of perception or understanding; mentally dull:

   a slow child.

   Synonyms: dense

8. not prompt, readily disposed, or in haste (usually followed by to or an infinitive):

   slow to anger; slow to take offense.

9. burning or heating with little speed or intensity, as a fire or an oven.
10. slack; not busy:

    The market was slow today.

11. having some quality that retards speed or causes movement, progress, work, etc., to be accomplished at less than the usual or expected rate of speed: a slow road.

    a slow, careful worker;

    a slow road.

12. running at less than the proper rate of speed or registering less than the proper time, as a clock.
13. passing heavily or dragging, as time:

    It's been a slow afternoon.

14. not progressive; behind the times: a slow town.
15. dull, humdrum, uninteresting, or tedious:

    What a slow party!

    Synonyms: boring

16. Photography. requiring long exposure, as by having a small lens diameter or low film sensitivity:

    a slow lens or film.

17. (of the surface of a race track) sticky from a fairly recent rain and in the process of drying out.

adverb

, slow·er, slow·est.

1. in a slow manner; slowly:

   Drive slow.

verb (used with object)

1. to make slow or slower (often followed by up or down ).
2. to retard; reduce the advancement or progress of:

   His illness slowed him at school.

   Synonyms: obstruct, impede, hinder

   Antonyms: advance

verb (used without object)

1. to become slow or slower; slacken in speed (often followed by up or down ).

slow

/ sləʊ /

adjective

1. performed or occurring during a comparatively long interval of time
2. lasting a comparatively long time

   a slow journey

3. characterized by lack of speed

   a slow walker

4. prenominal adapted to or productive of slow movement

   the slow lane of a motorway

5. (of a clock, etc) indicating a time earlier than the correct time
6. given to or characterized by a leisurely or lazy existence

   a slow town

7. not readily responsive to stimulation; intellectually unreceptive

   a slow mind

8. dull or uninteresting

   the play was very slow

9. not easily aroused

   a slow temperament

10. lacking promptness or immediacy

    a slow answer

11. unwilling to perform an action or enter into a state

    slow to anger

12. behind the times
13. (of trade, etc) unproductive; slack
14. (of a fire) burning weakly
15. (of an oven) cool
16. photog requiring a relatively long time of exposure to produce a given density

    a slow lens

17. sport (of a track, etc) tending to reduce the speed of the ball or the competitors
18. cricket (of a bowler, etc) delivering the ball slowly, usually with spin

adverb

1. in a manner characterized by lack of speed; slowly

verb

1. often foll byup or down to decrease or cause to decrease in speed, efficiency, etc

Confusables Note

As an adverb, slow has two forms, slow and slowly. Slowly appeared first in the 15th century; slow came into use shortly thereafter. Both are standard today in certain uses. Originally, slow was used both preceding and following the verb it modified. Today, it is used chiefly in imperative constructions with short verbs of motion ( drive, run, turn, walk, etc.), and it follows the verb: Drive slow. Don't walk so slow. This use is more common in speech than in writing, although it occurs widely on traffic and road signs. Slow also combines with present participles in forming adjectives: slow-burning; slow-moving. In this use it is standard in all varieties of speech and writing. Slowly is by far the more common form of the adverb in writing. In both speech and writing it is the usual form in preverb position ( He slowly drove down the street. The couple slowly strolled into the park ) and following verbs that are not imperatives ( He drove slowly down the street. The couple strolled slowly through the park ). quick, sure.

Derived Forms

• ˈslowness, noun
• ˈslowly, adverb

Other Words From

• slow·ly adverb
• slow·ness noun
• o·ver·slow adjective
• o·ver·slow·ly adverb
• o·ver·slow·ness noun
• ul·tra·slow adjective
• ul·tra·slow·ly adverb
• un·slow adjective
• un·slow·ly adverb
• un·slow·ness noun
• un·slowed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English slāw “sluggish, dull”; cognate with Dutch sleeuw; sloth

Word History and Origins

Origin of slow¹

Old English slāw sluggish; related to Old High German slēo dull, Old Norse slǣr, Dutch sleeuw slow

Idioms and Phrases

• mills of the gods grind slowly
• on the uptake, slow

Synonym Study

Slow, deliberate, gradual, leisurely mean unhurried and not happening rapidly. That which is slow acts or moves without haste or rapidity: a slow procession of cars. Deliberate implies the slowness that marks careful consideration before and while acting: a deliberate and calculating manner. Gradual suggests the slowness of something that advances one step at a time: a gradual improvement in service. That which is leisurely moves with the slowness allowed by ample time or the absence of pressure: an unhurried and leisurely stroll. See dull.

Example Sentences

“I just thought talking to people one-on-one was too slow,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

And I thought, ‘Oh, right. Don’t slow down. Cross the finish line with force.’

From Los Angeles Times

Past presidents have employed this method liberally, often as a way of circumventing political divides that would slow nominations.

From BBC

“The world is suffering slow strangulation by overregulation,” he wrote on the social media site X on Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times

“We are now on the cusp of another pandemic and the agencies responsible for regulating farms and protecting public health are moving slower than the virus is spreading.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abate
• curb
• curtail
• decelerate
• decrease
• diminish
• hinder
• impede
• lag
• lessen
• moderate
• reduce
• relax
• retard
• slacken
• stall
• temper