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

• laggardly
• leisurely
• pokily
• slow
• sluggishly
• tardily

Examples of slowly in a Sentence

Things are slowly getting better.

walked slowly toward the ringing phone

Recent Examples on the Web

Some experts warn that the shift could have long-term economic impacts for the U.S., especially if travelers have a positive experience in another destination and return there instead of to the U.S. Others believe that travel to the U.S. will slowly recover over time. —Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025

Corsicana, Texas is slowly building buzz in the art world. —Rima Suqi, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Kris Pangilinan, who brought his pop-up clothing and lifestyle booth to the festival, saw the vehicle roll slowly past a barricade before the driver accelerated in an area packed with people after a concert. —Jim Morris, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Fans watched as the two re-followed each other on Instagram over the summer and slowly began sharing friendly messages on social media. —Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 28 Apr. 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