slow

slow  (sl)

adj. slow·er, slow·est

1.

a. Not moving or able to move quickly; proceeding at a low speed: a slow train; slow walkers.

b. Marked by a retarded tempo: a slow waltz.

2.

a. Taking or requiring a long time: the slow job of making bread.

b. Taking more time than is usual: a slow worker; slow progress in the peace negotiations.

3. Allowing movement or action only at a low speed: a slow track; a slow infield.

4. Registering a time or rate behind or below the correct one: a slow clock.

5. Lacking in promptness or willingness; not precipitate: They were slow to accept our invitation.

6. Characterized by a low volume of sales or transactions: Business was slow today.

7. Lacking liveliness or interest; boring: a slow party.

8. Not having or exhibiting intellectual or mental quickness: a slow learner.

9. Only moderately warm; low: a slow oven.

adv. slower, slowest

1. So as to fall behind the correct time or rate: The watch runs slow.

2. At a low speed: Go slow!

v. slowed, slow·ing, slows

v.tr.

1. To make slow or slower.

2. To delay; retard.

v.intr.

To become slow or slower.

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[Middle English, from Old English slw.]

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slowly adv.

slowness n.

Synonyms: slow, dilatory, leisurely, laggard, deliberate
These adjectives mean taking more time than is usual or necessary. Slow is the least specific: a slow bus; a slow heartbeat; slow to anger.
Dilatory implies lack of promptness caused by delay, procrastination, or indifference: paid a late fee because I was dilatory in paying the bill.
Leisurely suggests a relaxed lack of haste: went for a leisurely walk by the river.
Laggard implies hanging back or falling behind: "the horses' laggard pace" Rudyard Kipling.
Deliberate suggests a lack of hurry traceable especially to caution or careful consideration, as of consequences: worked in a systematic and deliberate manner.

Usage Note: Slow may sometimes be used instead of slowly when it comes after the verb: We drove the car slow. In formal writing slowly is generally preferred. Slow is often used in speech and informal writing, especially when brevity and forcefulness are sought: Drive slow! Slow is also the established idiomatic form with certain senses of common verbs: The watch runs slow. Take it slow.

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slow

Adjective

1. taking a longer time than is usual or expected

2. lacking speed: slow movements

3. adapted to or producing slow movement: the slow lane

4. (of a clock or watch) showing a time earlier than the correct time

5. not quick to understand: slow on the uptake

6. dull or uninteresting: the play was very slow

7. not easily aroused: he is slow to anger

8. (of business) not busy; slack

9. (of a fire or oven) giving off low heat

10. Photog requiring a relatively long time of exposure: a slow film

Adverb

in a slow manner

Verb

(often foll. by up, down)to decrease or cause to decrease in speed or activity [Old English slāw sluggish]

slowly adv

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	slow - lose velocity; move more slowly; "The car decelerated" decelerate, slow down, slow up, retard decrease, diminish, lessen, fall - decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper" slow up, slow, slow down - cause to proceed more slowly; "The illness slowed him down" delay, detain, hold up - cause to be slowed down or delayed; "Traffic was delayed by the bad weather"; "she delayed the work that she didn't want to perform"
	2.	slow - become slow or slower; "Production slowed" slacken, slow up, slow down, slack weaken - become weaker; "The prisoner's resistance weakened after seven days"
	3.	slow - cause to proceed more slowly; "The illness slowed him down" slow up, slow down bog, bog down - cause to slow down or get stuck; "The vote would bog down the house" decelerate, slow, slow down, slow up, retard - lose velocity; move more slowly; "The car decelerated" constipate, clog - impede with a clog or as if with a clog; "The market is being clogged by these operations"; "My mind is constipated today"
Adj.	1.	slow - not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time; "a slow walker"; "the slow lane of traffic"; "her steps were slow"; "he was slow in reacting to the news"; "slow but steady growth" gradual - proceeding in small stages; "a gradual increase in prices" unhurried - relaxed and leisurely; without hurry or haste; "people strolling about in an unhurried way"; "an unhurried walk"; "spoke in a calm and unhurried voice" fast - acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly; "fast film"; "on the fast track in school"; "set a fast pace"; "a fast car"
	2.	slow - at a slow tempo; "the band played a slow waltz" music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner fast - at a rapid tempo; "the band played a fast fox trot"
	3.	slow - slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; "so dense he never understands anything I say to him"; "never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick"- Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked with the slow students" dumb, obtuse, dense, dim, dull stupid - lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
	4.	slow - (used of timepieces) indicating a time earlier than the correct time; "the clock is slow" fast - (used of timepieces) indicating a time ahead of or later than the correct time; "my watch is fast"
	5.	slow - so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; "a boring evening with uninteresting people"; "the deadening effect of some routine tasks"; "a dull play"; "his competent but dull performance"; "a ho-hum speaker who couldn't capture their attention"; "what an irksome task the writing of long letters is"- Edmund Burke; "tedious days on the train"; "the tiresome chirping of a cricket"- Mark Twain; "other people's dreams are dreadfully wearisome" ho-hum, irksome, tedious, tiresome, wearisome, boring, deadening, dull uninteresting - arousing no interest or attention or curiosity or excitement; "a very uninteresting account of her trip"
	6.	slow - (of business) not active or brisk; "business is dull (or slow)"; "a sluggish market" sluggish, dull business enterprise, commercial enterprise, business - the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects; "computers are now widely used in business" inactive - lacking activity; lying idle or unused; "an inactive mine"; "inactive accounts"; "inactive machinery"
Adv.	1.	slow - without speed (`slow' is sometimes used informally for `slowly'); "he spoke slowly"; "go easy here--the road is slippery"; "glaciers move tardily"; "please go slow so I can see the sights" slowly, tardily, easy colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
	2.	slow - of timepieces; "the clock is almost an hour slow"; "my watch is running behind" behind

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slow

adjective 1. unhurried, sluggish, leisurely, easy, measured, creeping, deliberate, lagging, lazy, plodding, slow-moving, loitering, ponderous, leaden, dawdling, laggard, lackadaisical, tortoise-like, sluggardly << OPPOSITE quick

adjective 2. prolonged, time-consuming, protracted, long-drawn-out, lingering, gradual

adjective 3. unwilling, reluctant, loath, averse, hesitant, disinclined, indisposed

adjective 4. late, unpunctual, behindhand, behind, tardy

adjective 5. stupid, dim, dense, thick, dull, dumb (informal) retarded, bovine, dozy Brit. (informal) unresponsive, obtuse, slow on the uptake (informal) braindead (informal) dull-witted, blockish, slow-witted, intellectually handicapped Austral. << OPPOSITE bright

adjective 6. dull, quiet, boring, dead, tame, slack, sleepy, sluggish, tedious, stagnant, unproductive, inactive, one-horse (informal) uneventful, uninteresting, wearisome, dead-and-alive Brit. unprogressive << OPPOSITE exciting

verb 7. (often with down) decelerate, brake, lag

verb 8. (often with down) delay, hold up, hinder, check, restrict, handicap, detain, curb, retard, rein in << OPPOSITE speed up

USAGE While not as unkind as thick and stupid, words like slow and backward, when used to talk about a person's mental abilities, are both unhelpful and likely to cause offence. It is preferable to say that a person has special educational needs or learning difficulties.

Translations

slow [sləu] adj → lento; [watch]: to be slow → estar atrasado

adv → lentamente, despacio

vt (also: slow down) (also: slow up) → retardar [+ engine, machine]; reducir la marcha de

vi (also: slow down) (also: slow up) → ir más despacio;

"slow" (road sign) → "disminuir la velocidad";

at a slow speed → a una velocidad lenta;

the slow lane → el carril derecho;

business is slow (COMM) → hay poca actividad;

my watch is 20 minutes slow → mi reloj lleva 20 minutos de retraso;

bake for 2 hours in a slow oven → cocer or asar 2 horas en el horno a fuego lento;

to be slow to act/decide → tardar en obrar/decidir;

to go slow [driver] → conducir despacio;

(in industrial dispute) → trabajar a ritmo lento

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slow [sləu] adj → lent(e); [watch];

to be slow → retarder adv → lentement

vt, vi → ralentir;

"slow" (road sign) → "ralentir";

at a slow speed → à petite vitesse;

to be slow to act/decide → être lent à agir/décider;

my watch is 20 minutes slow → ma montre retarde de 20 minutes;

business is slow → les affaires marchent au ralenti;

to go slow [driver] → rouler lentement;

(in industrial dispute) → faire la grève perlée

slow down vi → ralentir

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slow [sləu] adj → langsam;

(not clever) → langsam, begriffsstutzig

adv → langsam

vt (also: slow down, slow up) → verlangsamen;

(business) → verschlechtern

vi (also: slow down, slow up) → sich verlangsamen;

(business) → schlechter gehen;

to be slow (watch, clock) → nachgehen;

"slow" → "langsam fahren";

at a slow speed → langsam;

to be slow to act → sich dat Zeit lassen;

to be slow to decide → lange brauchen, um sich zu entscheiden;

my watch is 20 minutes slow → meine Uhr geht 20 Minuten nach;

business is slow → das Geschäft geht schlecht;

to go slow (driver) → langsam fahren;

(Brit) (in industrial dispute) → einen Bummelstreik machen

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slow [sləu] adj → lento/a; [watch]: to be slow → essere indietro

adv → lentamente

vt, vi (also: slow down) (also: slow up) → rallentare;

"slow" (road sign) → "rallentare";

at a slow speed → a bassa velocità;

to be slow to act/decide → essere lento ad agire/a decidere;

my watch is 20 minutes slow → il mio orologio è indietro di 20 minuti;

business is slow (COMM) → gli affari procedono a rilento;

to go slow [driver] → andare piano;

(in industrial dispute) → fare uno sciopero bianco