slow

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

adj. time-consuming; dull-witted, dense (sl.); tardy, sluggish; slack, leisurely; tedious, boring. See slowness, ignorance, lateness, weariness.Ant., fast, quick-witted, bright. —v. slacken, moderate, relax; decelerate; arrest, check, hold back. See hindrance, moderation.Ant., speed [up], accelerate.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Slow in motion]

Syn. sluggish, laggard, deliberate, gradual, moderate, loitering, leaden, creeping, inactive, torpid, slow moving, ultra-slow, crawling, imperceptible, snaillike, slow-paced, leisurely, glue-footed*, as slow as molasses*, as slow as molasses in January*.

Ant. fast*, swift, rapid.

2. [Slow in starting]

Syn. dilatory, procrastinating, delaying, postponing, idle, indolent, tardy, torpid, lazy, apathetic, phlegmatic, inactive, fabian, sluggish, heavy, quiet, drowsy, inert, dreamy, sleepy, lethargic, stagnant, slothful, supine, passive, slack, negligent, remiss, listless, languorous, lackadaisical, disinclined, reluctant, hesitant, enervated, dormant, abeyant, potential, latent; see also late 1 .

Ant. immediate*, alert, instant.

3. [Slow in producing an effect]

Syn. belated, behindhand, backward, unpunctual, overdue, delayed, long-delayed, behindtime, regarded, impeded, detained, hindered, moss-backed.

Ant. busy*, diligent, industrious.

4. [Dull or stupid]

Syn. stolid, tame, uninteresting; see dull 3 .

See Synonym Study at stupid . v.

1. [To become slower]

Syn. slacken, slow up, slow down, lag, loiter, quiet, relax, procrastinate, back water, back and fill, stall*, let up*, wind down*, ease up*, ease off*; see also sense 2, decrease 1 , hesitate .

Ant. rise*, accelerate, mount.

2. [To cause to become slower]

Syn. delay, postpone, decelerate, moderate, reduce, regulate, retard, detain, temper, qualify, decrease, diminish, hinder, impede, hold back, keep waiting, brake, curtail, check, curb, reef, shorten sail, cut down*, rein in*, cut back*; see also sense 1 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

v.

decelerate, brake, slacken, taper off, let up, restrain, check, restrict, curb, delay, hinder, moderate, *take one's foot off the gas.

ANT.: accelerate, speed up, *step on it

II

a.

1. not fast leisurely, crawling, dragging, lagging, *slower than a glacier, *slower than the Second Coming, *slower than cold molasses, snaillike, sluggish, slothful, plodding, gradual.

2. late tardy, behind, delayed, overdue, detained, belated.

3. not busy inactive, sluggish, quiet, slack, off.

4. prolonged protracted, long, extended, interminable, drawn-out.

5. stupid obtuse, dull, dense, *thick, dim, dimwitted, retarded, moronic, bovine, *out to lunch, *dead from the neck up, *dumb as a box of rocks.

ANT.: 1. fast, swift, fleet, quick. 2. early, punctual. 3. busy, *hopping, *jumping. 4. brief, short, contracted. 5. intelligent, bright, smart, quick

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I adjective 1. Proceeding at a rate less than usual or desired: dilatory, laggard, slow-footed, slow-going, slow-paced, tardy. Informal: poky1. Idiom: slow as molasses in January. See FAST. 2. Characterized by reduced economic activity: down, dull, off, slack, sluggish, soft. See INCREASE. 3. Having only a limited ability to learn and understand: backward, dull, simple, simple-minded, slow-witted. Informal: soft. Offensive: feeble-minded, half-witted, retarded, weak-minded. See ABILITY. II adverb So as to fall behind schedule: behind, behindhand, late. Idiom: behind time. See TIME. III verb To cause to be later or slower than expected or desired. Also used with down or up: delay, detain, hang up, hold up, lag, retard, set back, stall2. See HELP, TIME.