slow ‧ ly S3 W2 /ˈsləʊli $ ˈsloʊ-/ BrE AmE adverb
1 . at a slow speed OPP quickly :
He shook his head slowly.
‘That’s true,’ said Joe slowly.
2 . slowly but surely used to emphasize that a change is happening, although it is happening slowly:
We are slowly but surely gaining the support of the public.
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THESAURUS
▪ slowly at a slow speed:
Large white clouds drifted slowly across the sky.
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The situation is slowly improving.
▪ gradually happening slowly over a period of time:
I practised every day, and gradually got better.
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Many of our forests are gradually disappearing.
▪ little by little/bit by bit slowly, in a series of small amounts or stages:
Add the olive oil, little by little.
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It’s best to do the work bit by bit.
▪ at a snail’s pace extremely slowly, especially when this is annoying:
Traffic was moving at a snail’s pace.
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The project seems to be moving at a snail’s pace.