slowly

adverb

slow·ly | \ ˈslō-lē

Definition of slowly

: in a slow manner : not quickly, fast, early, rashly, or readily

Synonyms & Antonyms Slow vs. Slowly: Usage Guide Example Sentences Learn More about slowly

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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 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 Slowly is used before the verb a sense of outrage, which slowly changed to shame — Paul Horgan and with participial adjectives. a slowly dawning awareness … of the problem — 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

Examples of slowly in a Sentence

Things are slowly getting better. walked slowly toward the ringing phone

Recent Examples on the Web

Ball slowly made her way up several flights of stairs to the space. — Susie Armitage, SELF, "This Is How an Aerial Performer Restarted Her Career After Having Both Feet Amputated," 23 Jan. 2019 As Game of Thrones Season 8 slowly makes its return, its prequel spin-off show is also taking form. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Game of Thrones Prequel Announces Eight More Stars and a Director," 8 Jan. 2019 The phenomenon is slowly making its way across the Atlantic. — Sumathi Reddy, WSJ, "The Dry January Effect," 1 Jan. 2019 Returning to his immigration-heavy 2016 playbook, Trump went on to unleash his full fury on a caravan of migrants slowly making their way to the southern border. — Catherine Lucey, The Seattle Times, "Despite House loss, Trump still sees midterms success," 7 Nov. 2018 And, while both often use harmful chemicals in their processes, the industry is slowly making strides to be more sustainable for both animals and the environment. — Alyssa Hardy, Teen Vogue, "Best Vegan Leather Jackets, Boots, and Pieces You Need this Winter," 17 Oct. 2018 That secondary sale, though, has moved extremely slowly, and a final deal was never reached. — Theodore Schleifer, Recode, "Coinbase, the startup at the core of the crypto craze, is now considered an $8 billion company," 2 Oct. 2018 Upstream in Horry County, the floodwaters have invaded close to 1,000 homes near Conway as the Waccamaw River was slowly making its way to a crest a full 4 feet (1.2 meters) over its record level set just two years ago after Hurricane Matthew. — Jeffrey Collins, Fox News, "After the hurricane comes the deluge on South Carolina coast," 25 Sep. 2018 Plans by North DeKalb Mall’s owners to revamp the development are slowly making progress. — Joshua Sharpe, ajc, "What’s going on with plans to tear down, rebuild North DeKalb Mall?," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'slowly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.