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

The truck began slowly rolling forward and backward, the lawsuit said. —Jennifer Rodriguez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2025

Apex Legends slowly rose in popularity from its debut on Steam in February of 2022 before reaching a peak a year later in February 2023 of 624,473 players. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

High interest rates by the European Central Bank, meant to quell inflation, buffeted real-estate markets across Europe. From Spain to Sweden, the scarcity of housing, coupled with wages that have risen slowly, has made access to affordable homes more difficult. —Liz Alderman, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

At relativistic speeds — that is near the speed of light — time moves more slowly, which would mean the electron beam wouldn't have enough time to spread out, keeping the beam focused. —Victoria Corless, Space.com, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing slowly

• slowly but surely