as in thickness
the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind
her natural shyness was sometimes mistaken for slowness by people who did not know her well
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Recent Examples of slowness
The slowness of the day, the blue sky rising tall above the house—a house Daithí has built for her and their two girls—Eloise, their baby, will sleep here, in the shade, windows open to the sea air.
—
Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
Learning to sit with that uncertainty – to tolerate the slowness and mess of thinking things through rather than reaching for the frictionless answer – is where discernment begins.
—Kristi Girdharry, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
That slowness also applies to the mail itself.
—Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
But the composer Huang Ruo knows that this slowness can also offer opportunity for pause, reflection, and escape.
—Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
The slowness is part of its appeal.
—Kallie Plagge, The Verge, 19 Jan. 2026
After all, the best homes are born out of slowness rather than speed.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 9 Jan. 2026
But smaller and niche-y vendors have been reluctant to ship the company this year given the retailer’s slowness in paying, leaving it without enough on its floors to regain sales.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 29 Dec. 2025
Their slowness is not the thing that bothers me.
—Francesco Pacifico, The Dial, 9 Dec. 2025
Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
Learning to sit with that uncertainty – to tolerate the slowness and mess of thinking things through rather than reaching for the frictionless answer – is where discernment begins.
—Kristi Girdharry, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
That slowness also applies to the mail itself.
—Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
But the composer Huang Ruo knows that this slowness can also offer opportunity for pause, reflection, and escape.
—Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
The slowness is part of its appeal.
—Kallie Plagge, The Verge, 19 Jan. 2026
After all, the best homes are born out of slowness rather than speed.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 9 Jan. 2026
But smaller and niche-y vendors have been reluctant to ship the company this year given the retailer’s slowness in paying, leaving it without enough on its floors to regain sales.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 29 Dec. 2025
Their slowness is not the thing that bothers me.
—Francesco Pacifico, The Dial, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slowness
Noun
-
Drawing at least in part on information from Chalker’s defectors, the Pentagon constructed life-size underground facsimiles of Iranian nuclear facilities where the scientists had worked, attempting to duplicate even the thickness of the walls.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The exact figure, of course, depends on the liquid’s viscosity (thickness).—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With the names of the two Kansas Cities firmly established over time, complaints about their dullness or geographical inaccuracy were largely confined to letters to the editor.—
Elijah Winkler,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Antioxidant-rich extras like sea buckthorn and vitamin E fend off dullness, and peptides smooth the complexion over time.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.—
Jonny Thomson,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Compare that to punk rock, which used dumbness as a tactic.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Smart, skilled, hardworking people gracefully put up with all manner of tragedy, stupidity, and institutional rot.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Speaking of stupidity, Kathy, pay for the Second Ave.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These are low-density regions, not regions completely devoid of all types of matter.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Then there’s density (how many strands per square inch) and porosity (how readily hair absorbs moisture).—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Japanese pickling methods, such as nukazuke (fermentation in rice bran), emphasized minimalism and balance, reflecting the cultural values of harmony and simplicity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The beauty of cafe curtains lies in their simplicity.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There’s the White House and its malicious megaphone of mindlessness; the generative AI advocates and their pushy, pathetic ploys; the Major League Baseball owners and their dedication to self-destruction.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The show’s real villain is mindlessness, in other words.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The simpleness of the look really allowed the Crocs to stand out and make an impression.—
Tara Larson,
Footwear News,
14 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slowness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slowness. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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