slowly
Americanadverb
Usage
What is a basic definition of slowly? Slowly is used when something is happening in a slow manner or in a way that lacks speed or quickness. Slowly is the adverb form of the word slow, which describes something as lacking speed. If you walk slowly, for example, you are not moving quickly. Things that happen slowly take much longer to occur than things that happen quickly.
- Real-life examples: Sloths, snails, and turtles move very slowly. For safety, it is a good idea to drive slowly past schools or construction sites. For most people, time moves slowly when they are bored, at school, or at work.
- Used in a sentence: She picked up the broken glass slowly and carefully.
Commonly Confused
See slow.
Etymology
Origin of slowly
First recorded in 1310–50; Middle English slawliche, slawly; slow ( def. ), -ly ( def. )
Explanation
When you take a long, long time to do something, you act slowly. And when things move at a low speed, they go slowly, like the storm clouds that slowly roll in during your school picnic. A new driver tends to drive slowly, foot just barely pressing the gas pedal, just as someone learning a new language often speaks slowly, taking extra time to choose the right words. You may have also noticed that time seems to move slowly when you're doing something incredibly boring. In all of these cases, the adverb slowly describes something occurring at a low speed.
Vocabulary lists containing slowly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As markets have matured and more institutional money has entered the space, Bitcoin has ever so slowly started to show stronger behavior in line with risk-on assets again.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
Beneficial bacteria grow more slowly, which can lead to an imbalance known as dysbiosis and allow the disease to return.
From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026
There are moments when I am all work and 110%, and there are other moments, like after you have a baby, where you need to take it slowly and have other priorities in your life.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Magyar moved slowly through the crowds before taking to the stage, flanked by his party colleagues.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
“The only one who could help them,” he says, reading it out loud, slowly.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
