: 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
PMNs are potato-sized balls that form over millions of years as layers of metal oxides slowly accumulate around an existing object on the ocean floor, such as a shark tooth or shell fragment.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 15 May 2026
The company’s relationship with Apple is strained and the two are bracing for potential lawsuits after the integration of ChatGPT into Apple devices has gone slowly.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 15 May 2026
Watching delicate structures and vivid colors slowly emerge in front of my eyes felt like completing a cosmic paint-by-numbers kit.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 15 May 2026
Like a photograph developing in a bath of chemicals, Kreutzer’s strategies and themes slowly become clearer, and the scene isn’t pretty.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for slowly
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Jake Angelo, Fortune, 15 May 2026
The company’s relationship with Apple is strained and the two are bracing for potential lawsuits after the integration of ChatGPT into Apple devices has gone slowly.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 15 May 2026
Watching delicate structures and vivid colors slowly emerge in front of my eyes felt like completing a cosmic paint-by-numbers kit.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 15 May 2026
Like a photograph developing in a bath of chemicals, Kreutzer’s strategies and themes slowly become clearer, and the scene isn’t pretty.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for slowly
Cite this Entry
“Slowly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slowly. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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