⏬ To reduce speed 🐢 Not fast 🗣️ Not quickly 💼 Not busy 🤔 Not quick to learn ⏰ Shows wrong time

slow

2 3.9

Showing a time earlier than the correct time

adjective
/sloʊ/

: atrasado

The stairs were too far and the lift too slow to get him there in time.
runs slow

Examples

My watch must be four minutes slow.

The Quiet American (1958)
I look at my watch and see it is slow, several minutes behind the hour.

Fiction book (1996)
It's 2:30 by my watch, but I think I'm a little slow.

Crackers (1984)
There, inside our Richmond District home on 12th Avenue, I placed the slow mirror atop my rosewood dresser.

Fiction book (1999)
I noticed that my watch is slow; it doesn't match the time on my phone.
When I checked my watch, I realized it was running slow by five minutes compared to the wall clock.
After resetting my watch, I found it was still slow and needed a new battery.

Synonyms

behind

vsslow

1 1.1

Showing a time earlier than the correct time

has identical meaning but is a different word choice

Antonyms

fast

3 4.1

Showing a time later than the correct time

Idioms

slow on the uptake

Informal

4 8.5

Not quick to understand new ideas

slow to respond

3 3.5

Takes a long time to answer messages or questions

low and slow

1 3.3

Cooking at low heat for a long time makes meat tender and adds flavor

slow off the mark

Informal

1 6.7

Not quick to notice things or begin actions

Compounds

slow motion

Specialized

61 3.2

A way of showing action in film or video that happens more slowly than real life

slow-moving

24 2.3

Moving at a low speed and not making quick progress

slow-witted

Offensive

4 6.7

Not quick to understand or think

slow lane

3 3.9

A relaxed way of life with less stress and hurry

slow lane

3 2.7

A lane on a road for cars and trucks moving slower than other traffic

slow march

Formal

2 4.9

A slow, formal walk people make during a ceremony or funeral

slow train

1 2.5

A train that stops at many stations and takes a long time

slow loris

1 8.0

A small night animal like a monkey with big eyes that moves slowly

go-slow

1 7.4

A protest where workers work slowly on purpose to pressure their employer

slow virus

Specialized

1 7.3

A germ that stays inactive in the body for a long time before causing symptoms

slow study

Slur

1 7.2

A person who takes more time to learn new things than others

trainwreck in slow motion

Informal

1 8.6

A situation that gets worse slowly in public while people cannot stop it

slow-wittedness

Offensive

1 8.1

A state when someone is slow to understand things

slow match

Archaic

1 9.9

A cord soaked to burn slowly used to light guns or cannons

slow-burn process

1 5.9

A change that happens slowly over a long time

slow-burn thriller

1 6.1

A film or book that builds tension slowly and ends with a big moment

slow time scale

Specialized

7.9

A way used in models to stretch time so events look slower than real life

slow-burning passion

5.9

A strong feeling of love or interest that grows slowly

slow-burning stove

5.1

A stove that controls the air so the fuel gives heat for many hours

How Fast

fast

3 4.1

slow

2 3.9

Surface Forms

slow positive

slower comparative

slowest superlative

Etymology

Slow comes from the Old English word slaw, which meant 'not quick' or 'lazy'. So a clock that is slow is simply 'not fast' and shows a time earlier than the correct time.