slow

[sloh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slow ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, slow·er, slow·est.

moving or proceeding with little or less than usual speed or velocity: a slow train.

characterized by lack of speed: a slow pace.

taking or requiring a comparatively long time for completion: a slow meal; a slow trip.

requiring or taking a long time for growing, changing, or occurring; gradual: a plant of slow growth.

sluggish in nature, disposition, or function.

dull of perception or understanding; mentally dull: a slow child.

not prompt, readily disposed, or in haste (usually followed by to or an infinitive): slow to anger; slow to take offense.

burning or heating with little speed or intensity, as a fire or an oven.

slack; not busy: The market was slow today.

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, careful worker; a slow road.

running at less than the proper rate of speed or registering less than the proper time, as a clock.

passing heavily or dragging, as time: It's been a slow afternoon.

not progressive; behind the times: a slow town.

dull, humdrum, uninteresting, or tedious: What a slow party!

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

(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.

in a slow manner; slowly: Drive slow.

verb (used with object)

to make slow or slower (often followed by up or down).

to retard; reduce the advancement or progress of: His illness slowed him at school.

verb (used without object)

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

Origin of slow

before 900; Middle English; Old English slāw sluggish, dull; cognate with Dutch sleeuw; cf. sloth

Related formsslow·ly, adverbslow·ness, nouno·ver·slow, adjectiveo·ver·slow·ly, adverbo·ver·slow·ness, nounul·tra·slow, adjectiveul·tra·slow·ly, adverbun·slow, adjectiveun·slow·ly, adverbun·slow·ness, nounun·slowed, adjective

Synonyms for slow

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slow ON THESAURUS.COM

1, 2. unhurried. 5. sluggardly, dilatory, indolent, lazy, slothful. 6. dense. 14. boring. 19. hinder, impede, obstruct.

Synonym study

1, 2. 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. 6. See dull.

Antonyms for slow

1–3. fast. 19. advance.

Usage 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 ). See also quick, sure.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for slow

heavy, gradual, quiet, lackadaisical, passive, stagnant, leisurely, easy, moderate, sluggish, lethargic, reluctant, tedious, stiff, tame, low, dull, time-consuming, simple, limited

Examples from the Web for slow

Contemporary Examples of slow

Back in New York, the slow pace and inward focus of her yoga practice was less fulfilling.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze
Lizzie Crocker
January 9, 2015
First, as opposition to gay marriage collapses, American anti-LGBT activists will slow their battle against it.
‘Only God’ Can Stop Gay Marriage
Tim Mak
January 6, 2015
“The process of getting the approval is too slow and is too cumbersome,” Rogers said.
ISIS Fight Has a Spy Shortage, Intel Chair Says
Kimberly Dozier
January 2, 2015
“Personal hotspots can get speeds of up to 60 Mb/s down, whereas hotel Wi-Fi can be as slow as 1.5 Mb/s,” Sesar said.
How ‘Ethical’ Hotel Chain Marriott Gouges Guests in the Name of Wi-Fi Security
Kyle Chayka
December 31, 2014
One of the honor guard approached with slow, measured steps and presented the flag to a uniformed captain.
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos
Michael Daly
December 28, 2014

Historical Examples of slow

But, changed as he was, he was not slow in recognizing his old enemy, Robert Rushton.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
We had to carry the water from the spring in drums, which was slow and hard work.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
Mr Clayton was not slow to remark what was passing in my mind.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
Progress may be slow—measured in inches and feet, not miles—but we will progress.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
He tried every means of whiling away the time, but it never had seemed to move so slow.
The Lamplighter
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for slow

slow

adjective

performed or occurring during a comparatively long interval of time

lasting a comparatively long timea slow journey

characterized by lack of speeda slow walker

(prenominal) adapted to or productive of slow movementthe slow lane of a motorway

(of a clock, etc) indicating a time earlier than the correct time

given to or characterized by a leisurely or lazy existencea slow town

not readily responsive to stimulation; intellectually unreceptivea slow mind

dull or uninterestingthe play was very slow

not easily arouseda slow temperament

lacking promptness or immediacya slow answer

unwilling to perform an action or enter into a stateslow to anger

behind the times

(of trade, etc) unproductive; slack

(of a fire) burning weakly

(of an oven) cool

photog requiring a relatively long time of exposure to produce a given densitya slow lens

sport (of a track, etc) tending to reduce the speed of the ball or the competitors

cricket (of a bowler, etc) delivering the ball slowly, usually with spin

adverb

in a manner characterized by lack of speed; slowly

verb

(often foll by up or down) to decrease or cause to decrease in speed, efficiency, etc

Derived Formsslowly, adverbslowness, noun

Word Origin for slow

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slow

adj.

Old English slaw "inactive, sluggish, torpid, lazy," also "not clever," from Proto-Germanic *slæwaz (cf. Old Saxon sleu "blunt, dull," Middle Dutch slee, Dutch sleeuw "sour, tart, blunt," Old High German sleo "blunt, dull," Old Norse sljor, Danish sløv, Swedish slö "blunt, dull"). Meaning "taking a long time" is attested from early 13c. Meaning "dull, tedious" is from 1841. As an adverb c.1500. The slows "imaginary disease to account for lethargy" is from 1843.

1550s, "make slower;" 1590s, "go slower," from slow (adj.). Related: Slowed; slowing. Old English had slawian (intransitive) "to be or become slow, be sluggish," but the modern use appears to be a 16c. re-formation.

Idioms and Phrases with slow

slow

In addition to the idioms beginning with slow

slow burn
slow but sure
slow down
slow on the uptake
slow up

also see:

mills of the gods grind slowly
on the uptake, slow