Standard Lemma guide

slowly

adv · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • rhymes with -əʊli
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsləʊli/
  • Northumbria: /ˈslaːli/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈsloʊli/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S L OW1 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

At a slow pace.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: manner

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

without speed (`slow' is sometimes used informally for `slowly')

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he spoke slowly
  • go easy here--the road is slippery
  • glaciers move tardily
  • please go slow so I can see the sights

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: slow, easy, tardily

Antonyms: quickly

3

adverb

Meaning 3

in music

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Play this lento, please

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lento

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English slowly, slowli, slouli, slowliche, from Old English slāwlīċe (“slowly; sluggishly”), equivalent to slow + -ly. Compare Old Norse slæliga, sljóliga.

Across languages

Translations

144 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Abkhaz: ашьшьыҳәа (aššəḥwa) — at a slow pace
  • Albanian: ngadalë — at a slow pace
  • Albanian: avash — at a slow pace
  • Gheg Albanian: kadal — at a slow pace
  • Amharic: በቀስታ (bäḳästa) — at a slow pace
  • Arabic: بِبُطْء (bi-buṭʔ) — at a slow pace
  • Arabic: بشويش (bišwēš) — at a slow pace
  • Arabic: شوي شوي (šway šway) — at a slow pace
  • Arabic: بشويش (bišwēš) — at a slow pace
  • Aragonese: lentament — at a slow pace
  • Armenian: դանդաղ (dandaġ) — at a slow pace
  • Armenian: դանդաղորեն (dandaġoren) — at a slow pace
  • Armenian: կամաց (kamacʻ) — at a slow pace
  • Assamese: লাহে লাহে (lahe lahe) — at a slow pace
  • Assamese: লাহে ধীৰে (lahe dhire) — at a slow pace
  • Assamese: ধীৰে ধীৰে (dhire dhire) — at a slow pace
  • Early Assamese: লাসে লাসে (lase lase) — at a slow pace
  • Early Assamese: ধীৰে ধীৰে (dhīre dhīre) — at a slow pace
  • Bashkir: яй (yay) — at a slow pace
  • Bashkir: аҡрын (aqrın) — at a slow pace
  • Bashkir: талғын (talğın) — at a slow pace
  • Basque: poliki — at a slow pace
  • Belarusian: паво́льна (pavólʹna) — at a slow pace
  • Breton: goustad — at a slow pace
  • Bulgarian: ба́вно (bávno) — at a slow pace
  • Burmese: ဖြည်းဖြည်း (hprany:hprany:) — at a slow pace
  • Catalan: lentament — at a slow pace
  • Catalan: a poc a poc — at a slow pace
  • Chamicuro: peski'tujka — at a slow pace
  • Chinese: khoan-khoan — at a slow pace
  • Chinese Mandarin: 慢 (màn) — at a slow pace
  • Czech: pomalu — at a slow pace
  • Danish: langsomt — at a slow pace
  • Dutch: traag — at a slow pace
  • Dutch: traagjes — at a slow pace
  • Dutch: langzaam — at a slow pace
  • Dutch: langzaamaan — at a slow pace
  • Esperanto: malrapide — at a slow pace
  • Estonian: aeglaselt — at a slow pace
  • Faroese: spakuliga — at a slow pace
  • Finnish: hitaasti — at a slow pace
  • French: lentement — at a slow pace
  • Galician: amodo — at a slow pace
  • Galician: devagar — at a slow pace
  • Galician: paseniño — at a slow pace
  • Galician: engorde — at a slow pace
  • Galician: lentamente — at a slow pace
  • Gallurese: dittu — at a slow pace
  • Georgian: ნელა (nela) — at a slow pace
  • German: langsam — at a slow pace
  • Greek: σιγά (sigá) — at a slow pace
  • Greek: αργά (argá) — at a slow pace
  • Ancient Greek: βραδέως (bradéōs) — at a slow pace
  • Hebrew: לאט (le'át) — at a slow pace
  • Hindi: आहिस्ता (āhistā) — at a slow pace
  • Hindi: धीरे (dhīre) — at a slow pace
  • Hindi: धीरे-धीरे (dhīre-dhīre) — at a slow pace
  • Hungarian: lassan — at a slow pace
  • Icelandic: hægt — at a slow pace
  • Icelandic: rólega — at a slow pace
  • Ido: lente — at a slow pace
  • Indonesian: pelan-pelan — at a slow pace
  • Ingrian: veenost — at a slow pace
  • Italian: lentamente — at a slow pace
  • Italian: adagio — at a slow pace
  • Italian: a rilento — at a slow pace
  • Japanese: ゆっくり (yukkuri) — at a slow pace
  • Japanese: そろそろ (sorosoro) — at a slow pace
  • Eastern Khanty: њаᲊӽә (njatjḥə) — at a slow pace
  • Khmer: យឺតៗ (yɨɨt yɨɨt) — at a slow pace
  • Korean: 천천히 (cheoncheonhi) — at a slow pace
  • Korean: 느리게 (neurige) — at a slow pace
  • Central Kurdish: لەسەر خۆ (leser xo) — at a slow pace
  • Ladin: plan — at a slow pace
  • Ladino: avagar — at a slow pace
  • Lao: ຊ້າໆ (sā sā) — at a slow pace
  • Latin: lentē — at a slow pace
  • Latin: tardē — at a slow pace
  • Latin: segniter — at a slow pace
  • Latvian: lēnām — at a slow pace
  • Latvian: lēni — at a slow pace
  • Latvian: lēnu — at a slow pace
  • Macedonian: по́лека (póleka) — at a slow pace
  • Malay: perlahan — at a slow pace
  • Malayalam: പതുക്കെ (patukke) — at a slow pace
  • Middle English: esiliche — at a slow pace
  • Navajo: tąądee — at a slow pace
  • Navajo: tʼáá tłehee — at a slow pace
  • Norman: lentement — at a slow pace
  • Norwegian: sakte — at a slow pace
  • Norwegian: langsomt — at a slow pace
  • Occitan: lentament — at a slow pace
  • Old English: late — at a slow pace
  • Old English: lætlīċe — at a slow pace
  • Persian: آهسته (âheste) — at a slow pace
  • Polish: powoli — at a slow pace
  • Polish: wolno — at a slow pace
  • Polish: pomału — at a slow pace
  • Polish: nieśpiesznie — at a slow pace
  • Polish: nieprędko — at a slow pace
  • Polish: niemrawo — at a slow pace
  • Polish: pomalutku — at a slow pace
  • Portuguese: devagar — at a slow pace
  • Portuguese: lentamente — at a slow pace
  • Portuguese: vagarosamente — at a slow pace
  • Romanian: încet — at a slow pace
  • Romanian: lent — at a slow pace
  • Romanian: domol — at a slow pace
  • Romanian: lentamente — at a slow pace
  • Russian: ме́дленно (médlenno) — at a slow pace
  • Sanskrit: शनैस् (śanais) — at a slow pace
  • Campidanese Sardinian: dicciu — at a slow pace
  • Sardinian: ditzu — at a slow pace
  • Serbo-Croatian: споро — at a slow pace
  • Serbo-Croatian: пола́ко — at a slow pace
  • Serbo-Croatian: ла̏гано — at a slow pace
  • Serbo-Croatian: sporo — at a slow pace
  • Serbo-Croatian: poláko — at a slow pace
  • Serbo-Croatian: lȁgano — at a slow pace
  • Slovak: pomaly — at a slow pace
  • Slovene: počási — at a slow pace
  • Spanish: lentamente — at a slow pace
  • Spanish: despacio — at a slow pace
  • Spanish: con despacio — at a slow pace
  • Spanish: despacito — at a slow pace
  • Swedish: sakta — at a slow pace
  • Sylheti: ꠟꠣꠄ ꠟꠣꠄ (lae lae) — at a slow pace
  • Tamil: மெதுவா (metuvā) — at a slow pace
  • Telugu: నిదానంగా (nidānaṅgā) — at a slow pace
  • Telugu: మెల్లగా (mellagā) — at a slow pace
  • Thai: ช้าๆ (cháa-cháa) — at a slow pace
  • Turkish: yavaş — at a slow pace
  • Turkish: yavaşça — at a slow pace
  • Turkish: yavaş yavaş — at a slow pace
  • Turkish: aheste aheste — at a slow pace
  • Ukrainian: пові́льно (povílʹno) — at a slow pace
  • Ukrainian: без поспіху (bez pospixu) — at a slow pace
  • Urdu: آہستہ (āhistā) — at a slow pace
  • Vietnamese: chậm — at a slow pace
  • Volapük: nevifiko — at a slow pace
  • Walloon: doûçmint — at a slow pace
  • Walloon: belotmint — at a slow pace
  • Walloon: londjinnmint — at a slow pace
  • Walloon: loyminoymint — at a slow pace
Real reading context

slowly in complete knowledge articles