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

But just as the price of everyday goods began growing a little more slowly, likely tariffs from a second Trump administration could destabilize recent disinflation. —Melvin Backman, Quartz, 15 Nov. 2024

The crowd moved slowly because of its size, with some cyclists carrying the Chinese flag and some people sleeping on the ground in a park after arriving in Kaifeng, according to photos and videos shared with NBC News. —Peter Guo, NBC News, 11 Nov. 2024

So much for slowly working Christian McCaffrey into the mix. —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024

Europe’s war is slowly becoming the world’s war, an expansion that is not to Europe’s advantage. —Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing slowly

• slowly but surely