slowness
Americannoun
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the slow rate of movement of something; lack of speed or rapidity.
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lack of intelligence; poor ability to perceive, understand, realize, etc.; dullness.
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lack of activity or energy; the quality of not being busy; slackness.
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the quality of being unexciting or uninteresting; boring or draggy quality.
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the quality of being gradual, deliberate, or unhurried.
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the fact or state of falling behind the standard time, as of a clock.
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.
He pointed to "slowness, bureaucracy and norms that impede those who want to produce" as well as "decisions that we have put off."
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
The Soviet Union was heavily criticised for its slowness in revealing the scale of the disaster.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
“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
It is the gift of this slowness and attention that she wishes to impart to anyone who passes by the Toast window and accepts her invitation to share a picnic blanket.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
My legs nearly gave out as we reached the stairs, but we took them one at a time, with excruciating slowness.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
