1
as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
because of the holiday, traffic to the beach was particularly slow slow readers
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2
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
we love our bulldog though he's a little slower than our German shepherd
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3
as in sleepy
lacking in gaiety, movement, or animation
a slow day on Wall Street
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4
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
the first half of the movie is slow, but then it gets exciting
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as in to brake
to cause to move or proceed at a less rapid pace
if you don't slow your delivery down a bit, your speech will be over too soon
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as in slowly
at a pace that is less than usual, desirable, or expected
you need to go slow with this experiment, or you'll make mistakes
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slow
Robert Frank, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2025
The Heat started slow, missing 14 of its first 15 shots to find itself in an early 12-point hole.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Brianna Tobritzhofer, Health, 7 Jan. 2026
Stop fertilizing during winter, when the plant's growth slows.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 7 Jan. 2026
Grace Raynor, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Also noteworthy, ballet dancers performing on the moving float (albeit slow-moving) as a crew in denim performed on the street.
—Paris Barraza, USA Today, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slow
Adjective
Their main complaints were that CPAs were slow to respond and weren’t proactive or strategic enough.
—Verb
Meals that combine protein with carbs, like oats topped with almonds, help slow digestion and reduce post-meal spikes.
—Adverb
Bulldogs kicker Peyton Woodring attempted a slow-rolling, onside free kick that running back Cash Jones eventually fell on.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for slow
Adjective
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Fortunately, there's usually plenty of pleasant autumn days after the first frost to tackle the remaining fall gardening tasks at a more leisurely rate.—
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During November, coastal towns transform into quieter versions of themselves, offering a season for birdwatching, leisurely walks, or festivals with good music and food.—
Adjective
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As Legally Blonde's Elle Woods, Witherspoon charted a memorable path from dumb blonde to Harvard Law School graduate.—
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Celebrities fight it out to be eliminated from the competition as quickly as possible to avoid being crowned the nation’s dumbest.—
Adjective
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Signs to treat fevers include being unusually sleepy, cranky and refusing food and drinks.—
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Trancoso, Bahia The opening of Uxua Casa Hotel & Spa in 2009 transformed the sleepy fishing village of Trancoso into a boho-chic hot spot.—
Adjective
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Yes, the rich women went to Sedona on Sutton’s private plane, but before that there were a few scenes back in boring old Los Angeles.—
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Disease prevention should be boring, routine, expected, and easy to access.—
Verb
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In cars, they’re used to connect the battery to motors, for lights and sensors, for braking systems, airbag controllers, entertainment systems and electric windows.—
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Drivers should slow down significantly while accelerating and braking gradually.—
Adverb
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When making the icing, make sure to add the cherry juice slowly.—
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Annual land and sea surface temperature anomalies each year compared to the 20th century average show ocean temperatures respond more slowly but are also rising.—
Adjective
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In tribute to Michael Keane’s hair-pulling on Wednesday, Cerys Jones picked through the stupidest dismissals in Premier League history.—
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To do a lot less foolish, thoughtless, stupid, idiotic things.—
Adjective
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The cemetery of good but dead laws is infinite; the main thing is that social forces exist.—
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These ghosts, which take the form of their dead friends, are mostly just goofy, with the shoddy special effects and glowy auras giving the whole thing a distinctly Haunted Mansion vibe; critically, the threat never feels real, which undermines any tension.—
Cite this Entry
“Slow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slow. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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