slow

Verb · Adjective · Adverb

Synonyms: decelerate slow down slow up retard slack slacken dense dim dull dumb obtuse boring

WordNet 3.0

Verb (3)

lose velocity; move more slowly“The car decelerated”Synonyms: decelerate slow down slow up retard
become slow or slower“Production slowed”Synonyms: slow down slow up slack slacken
cause to proceed more slowly“The illness slowed him down”Synonyms: slow down slow up

Adjective (6)

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”
at a slow tempo“the band played a slow waltz”
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”Synonyms: dense dim dull dumb obtuse
(used of timepieces) indicating a time earlier than the correct time“the clock is 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”Synonyms: boring deadening dull ho-hum irksome tedious tiresome wearisome
(of business) not active or brisk“business is dull (or slow)”“a sluggish market”Synonyms: dull sluggish

Adverb (2)

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”Synonyms: slowly easy tardily
of timepieces“the clock is almost an hour slow”“my watch is running behind”Synonyms: behind

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Slow \Slow\ (sl[=o]), a. [Compar. Slower (sl[=o]"[~e]r); superl. Slowest.] [OE. slow, slaw, AS. sl[=a]w; akin to OS. sl[=e]u blunt, dull, D. sleeuw, slee, sour, OHG. sl[=e]o blunt, dull, Icel. sl[=o]r, sl[ae]r, Dan. sl["o]v, Sw. sl["o]. Cf. Sloe, and Sloth.]

1.Moving a short space in a relatively long time; not swift; not quick in motion; not rapid; moderate; deliberate; as, a slow stream; a slow motion. [1913 Webster]

2.Not happening in a short time; gradual; late. [1913 Webster]

These changes in the heavens, though slow, produced Like change on sea and land, sidereal blast.— Milton.[1913 Webster]

3.Not ready; not prompt or quick; dilatory; sluggish; as, slow of speech, and slow of tongue. [1913 Webster]

Fixed on defense, the Trojans are not slow To guard their shore from an expected foe.— Dryden.[1913 Webster]

4.Not hasty; not precipitate; acting with deliberation; tardy; inactive. [1913 Webster]

He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding.— Prov. xiv. 29.[1913 Webster]

5.Behind in time; indicating a time earlier than the true time; as, the clock or watch is slow. [1913 Webster]

6.Not advancing or improving rapidly; as, the slow growth of arts and sciences. [1913 Webster]

7.Heavy in wit; not alert, prompt, or spirited; wearisome; dull. [Colloq.] --Dickens. Thackeray. [1913 Webster]

Note: Slow is often used in the formation of compounds for the most part self-explaining; as, slow-gaited, slow-paced, slow-sighted, slow-winged, and the like. [1913 Webster]

Slow coach, a slow person. See def.7, above. [Colloq.]

Slow lemur, or Slow loris (Zool.), an East Indian nocturnal lemurine animal (Nycticebus tardigradus) about the size of a small cat; -- so called from its slow and deliberate movements. It has very large round eyes and is without a tail. Called also bashful Billy.

Slow match. See under Match. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Dilatory; late; lingering; tardy; sluggish; dull; inactive.

Usage: Slow, Tardy, Dilatory. Slow is the wider term, denoting either a want of rapid motion or inertness of intellect. Dilatory signifies a proneness to defer, a habit of delaying the performance of what we know must be done. Tardy denotes the habit of being behind hand; as, tardy in making up one's acounts. [1913 Webster]

Slow \Slow\ (sl[=o]), obs. imp. of Slee, to slay. Slew. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

Slow \Slow\, adv. Slowly. [1913 Webster]

Let him have time to mark how slow time goes In time of sorrow. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Slow \Slow\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Slowing.] To render slow; to slacken the speed of; to retard; to delay; as, to slow a steamer. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Slow \Slow\, v. i. To go slower; -- often with up; as, the train slowed up before crossing the bridge. [1913 Webster]

Slow \Slow\, n. A moth. [Obs.] --Rom. of R. [1913 Webster]