: 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
However, his disapproval rating slowly started to increase.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 10 July 2025
Give yourself a break and start your work off slowly to set the tone for the remainder of the day and week.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
After being snubbed over the weekend despite some very impressive numbers, Twins pitcher Joe Ryan was slowly starting to feel at peace with not being selected to compete in the All-Star Game.
—Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 10 July 2025
The Middle East moves slowly, so don't be surprised if the new dawn everybody is talking about doesn't come to fruition.
—Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for slowly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 10 July 2025
Give yourself a break and start your work off slowly to set the tone for the remainder of the day and week.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
After being snubbed over the weekend despite some very impressive numbers, Twins pitcher Joe Ryan was slowly starting to feel at peace with not being selected to compete in the All-Star Game.
—Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 10 July 2025
The Middle East moves slowly, so don't be surprised if the new dawn everybody is talking about doesn't come to fruition.
—Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 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 13 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share