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

Snow and ice across the U.S. South are expected to relinquish their grip only slowly as the weekend continues. —CBS News, 11 Jan. 2025

But a police car was slowly escorting residents, a few at a time, into their homes. —Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025

Bridget Berg watched in real time as the devastating Eaton Fire slowly consumed her Altadena home, just one of more than 7,000 structures burned in the blaze. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2025

Negotiations and treaty stipulations negotiated under then-President Jimmy Carter slowly ceded control to the Panamanian government until 1999, when full control was turned over. —Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing slowly

• slowly but surely