slowness

American  

[sloh-nis] / ˈsloʊ nɪs /

noun

1. the slow rate of movement of something; lack of speed or rapidity.

2. lack of intelligence; poor ability to perceive, understand, realize, etc.; dullness.

3. lack of activity or energy; the quality of not being busy; slackness.

4. the quality of being unexciting or uninteresting; boring or draggy quality.

5. the quality of being gradual, deliberate, or unhurried.

6. the fact or state of falling behind the standard time, as of a clock.

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Example Sentences

“Henry Ford Hospital” from 1932 offers an unsparing look at the artist following a miscarriage, in which blood vessels fan out like ribbons and objects like snails hint at the slowness of her recovery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

“There’s a real slowness in food and ceramics,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

It’s a slowness she’d never had to confront, in a language she doesn’t speak.

From Slate • Feb. 1, 2026

This mental cloudiness is often called brain fog and while it isn't a medical condition in itself, it refers to a collection of cognitive symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, and mental slowness.

From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025

There’s the slowness of the undoing, which he must have mentioned a dozen times.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Related Words

• sluggishness
• unwillingness