slow
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.
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: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.
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.
in a slow manner; slowly: Drive slow.
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.
to become slow or slower; slacken in speed (often followed by up or down).
Origin of slow
1synonym study For slow
confusables note For slow
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.
Other words for slow
Opposites for slow
Other words from slow
- 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use slow in a sentence
It was a slow process, said Preeti Malani, chief health officer at the University of Michigan.
Why Even A Small Thanksgiving Is Dangerous | Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com) | November 20, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightThe three carriers say they offer “nationwide” 5G coverage via this slower version.
There’s more 5G available in big cities. But which carrier is fastest? | Aaron Pressman | November 19, 2020 | FortuneThat automatically applies the trailer’s electric brakes whenever you slow down to avoid overloading the truck’s own brakes.
Backing up a trailer is really hard, but this $100,000 SUV offers a new solution | Dan Carney | November 19, 2020 | Popular-ScienceWith in-person social options limited to slow the spread of the coronavirus, people have turned to virtual communities such as Groups for companionship or just to pass time.
Why it’s easy to hate Facebook but hard to leave | Heather Kelly | November 19, 2020 | Washington PostSo even if you’re moving relative to the light, time itself will slow down precisely long enough for you to measure light’s speed at the very one required by Maxwell’s equations.
When Einstein Tilted at Windmills - Issue 93: Forerunners | Amanda Gefter | November 18, 2020 | Nautilus
At times it can seem too proud of its virtuous noncommerciality; its slowness can seem shallow, its artiness willful.
‘The Leftovers’ Review: A Fever Dream You Can’t Wake Up From | Andrew Romano | June 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHer death is faked by means of a drug that slows her heart to near-death slowness.
Scandal’s Finale Featured One of the Most Preposterous TV Deaths Ever | Russell Saunders | April 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“The key to the show, to building towards the big lines, is in the pauses, the slowness,” she says.
Teased for their slowness, many become depressed and angry and act out.
In her hands, celluloid comes off as a medium that allows for old-fashioned rumination, with some of the slowness of oil paint.
Tacita Dean’s ‘Five Americans’ Captures a Quiet Brilliance | Blake Gopnik | May 7, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTHe sang the words with an odd, emphatic slowness, turning to look at Lettice between the phrases.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodSaw-dust has little value as a manure, as it undergoes decomposition with extreme slowness.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry | Thomas AndersonMaud Barrington laughed a little, for his face was visible and she understood the slowness of his answer.
Winston of the Prairie | Harold BindlossI paced the deck for hours, and grew morose and nervous, chafing under the slowness of the stout craft.
A Fortune Hunter; Or, The Old Stone Corral | John Dunloe CarteretHer energy was in the slowness; but for inimitable strength, I felt she would have run, she would have flown to me.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XXI | Robert Louis Stevenson
British Dictionary definitions for slow
/ (sləʊ) /
performed or occurring during a comparatively long interval of time
lasting a comparatively long time: a slow journey
characterized by lack of speed: a slow walker
(prenominal) adapted to or productive of slow movement: the 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 existence: a slow town
not readily responsive to stimulation; intellectually unreceptive: a slow mind
dull or uninteresting: the play was very slow
not easily aroused: a slow temperament
lacking promptness or immediacy: a slow answer
unwilling to perform an action or enter into a state: slow 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 density: a 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
in a manner characterized by lack of speed; slowly
(often foll by up or down) to decrease or cause to decrease in speed, efficiency, etc
Origin of slow
1Derived forms of slow
- slowly, adverb
- slowness, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with 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
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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