: in a slow manner : not quickly, fast, early, rashly, or readily
Slow vs. Slowly: Usage Guide
Some commentators claim that careful writers avoid the adverb slow, in spite of the fact that it has had over four centuries of usage.
have a continent forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower
—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
In actual practice, slow and slowly are not used in quite the same way. Slow is almost always used with verbs that denote movement or action, and it regularly follows the verb it modifies.
beans … are best cooked long and slow
—Louise Prothro
Louise Prothro
Slowly is used before the verb
a sense of outrage, which slowly changed to shame
—Paul Horgan
Paul Horgan
and with participial adjectives.
a slowly dawning awareness … of the problem
—Amer. Labor
Amer. Labor
Slowly is used after verbs where slow might also be used
burn slow or slowly
and after verbs where slow would be unidiomatic.
the leadership turned slowly toward bombing as a means of striking back
—David Halberstam
David Halberstam
Examples of slowly in a Sentence
Things are slowly getting better.
walked slowly toward the ringing phone
Recent Examples on the Web
But there was finally a shark on the other end of the line, slowly being hauled toward the boat.
—ArsTechnica, 22 July 2025
Progress slowly: Gradually increase the intensity of your workouts to avoid overtraining.
—Aubrey Bailey, Verywell Health, 22 July 2025
Beyond that, the Guardians appear to be slowly sinking into a light sell-off at the deadline.
—Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 22 July 2025
The unemployment rate is at a relatively low 4.1% and slowly trending higher.
—Ray Dalio, Time, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for slowly
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ArsTechnica, 22 July 2025
Progress slowly: Gradually increase the intensity of your workouts to avoid overtraining.
—Aubrey Bailey, Verywell Health, 22 July 2025
Beyond that, the Guardians appear to be slowly sinking into a light sell-off at the deadline.
—Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 22 July 2025
The unemployment rate is at a relatively low 4.1% and slowly trending higher.
—Ray Dalio, Time, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for slowly
Cite this Entry
“Slowly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slowly. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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