slowly

adverb

slow·​ly ˈslō-lē 

: 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

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

Synonyms of slowly

• cautiously
• slow
• sluggishly
• carefully

Examples of slowly in a Sentence

Things are slowly getting better.

walked slowly toward the ringing phone

Recent Examples on the Web

There are love letters to the dead in Lasky’s life interwoven into these essays, including to her father (a judge who died, slowly, from Alzheimer’s), her artist mother, her dog Lucy, beloved poet friends, Mayer herself. —Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025

After battling two years of slowly deteriorating vision, Charton was able to claw back a small portion of her lost world. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Nov. 2025

The boat's captain fired up the twin 200-horsepower motors and floated slowly into the clear blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, then hit the throttle. —Daniel Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025

Honda's push underscores how automakers are leaning on hybrids as electric vehicle demand grows more slowly than expected. —Daniel Leussink, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing slowly

• slowly but surely

Rhymes for slowly

• coaly
• coli
• foley
• folie
• goalie
• holy
• lowly
• moly
• tolly
• wholly
• acholi
• emboli