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slowness

slowness

5 1.1
A state when something moves or happens less quickly than usual
  • noun
  • /ˈsloʊnəs/
translation icon : lentitud
  • Some are perfectly still during the entire shot; others stroll about with a slowness that is unsettling.

It has a pace that is very slow, but not the creeping dread slowness of a certain kind of horror movie I can't take.

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Examples

  • This system is not ready for prime time with this level of slowness to respond to your touch.

  • Users have numerous complaints regarding system slowness and the difficulties involved in connecting to the mainframe.

    Academic text (2002)
  • So that just made HD in that, all the slowness just it's too much for me.

  • Together they kicked their legs, moving with glacial slowness to the other side.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • At the restaurant, you were impatient about the, uh, waiter's slowness in bringing the bill.

  • The man himself moved with what seemed glacial slowness, like a wind-up toy about to stop and fall over.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Two unavoidable factors have accounted for the initial slowness of market reorientation.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Beyond the traditional slowness of the Brazilian courts, a structural defect aggravates the problem.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Magnus walks with painful slowness through the lively streets, an exile doubly exiled.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The slowness of the internet connection made it frustrating to stream videos.

Synonyms

slowdown
vsslowness
53 3.7

A time when activity or progress becomes slower than usual

is the general state of moving without haste, not a time period
glacial pace
vsslowness
  • Informal
1 6.8

A very slow speed of progress or movement

is ordinary lack of haste rather than an extreme rate
deliberateness
vsslowness
1 6.7

A careful, thoughtful, and slow way of acting or making decisions

is the plain absence of haste without implying careful thought
unhurriedness
vsslowness
6.9

A calm, slow way of acting without hurry

is the general state of moving without haste or speed
dilatoriness
vsslowness
  • Archaic
9.9

A habit of putting things off and acting slowly

is a neutral lack of speed not implying intentional delay

Antonyms

1.0

How fast someone or something moves

65 3.4

Very quick action that often causes mistakes

How Fast

haste
65 3.4
speed
1.0
slowness
5 1.1
stillness
38 3.5

Surface Forms

slowness singular
slownesses plural

Morphology

slowness = slow (transparent) = slow + ness

Standard noun formation from the adjective 'slow' indicating the state or quality of being slow.

Etymology

Slowness comes from slow + -ness, where slow meant 'not moving quickly'—think of a slow-moving car or turtle as a memory hook. So slowness describes the quality of moving, happening, or being done at a low speed or without haste.