as in thickness
the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind
her natural shyness was sometimes mistaken for slowness by people who did not know her well
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Recent Examples of slowness
The slowness of encryption forces them to triage.
—
Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Julia's confession Fed up with local law enforcement's slowness and unresponsiveness, Christine and Katas eventually get FBI agent Dawn Martin on the case.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
By the time symptoms first appear, the majority of these cells are lost forever, meaning the disease can progress for years before any of the telltale physical symptoms emerge—tremors, stiffness and slowness of movement, among others.
—Todd Weissman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
The slowness of the day, the blue sky rising tall above the house—a house Daithí has built for her and their two girls—Eloise, their baby, will sleep here, in the shade, windows open to the sea air.
—Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
Learning to sit with that uncertainty – to tolerate the slowness and mess of thinking things through rather than reaching for the frictionless answer – is where discernment begins.
—Kristi Girdharry, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
That slowness also applies to the mail itself.
—Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The slowness is part of its appeal.
—Kallie Plagge, The Verge, 19 Jan. 2026
After all, the best homes are born out of slowness rather than speed.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 9 Jan. 2026
Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Julia's confession Fed up with local law enforcement's slowness and unresponsiveness, Christine and Katas eventually get FBI agent Dawn Martin on the case.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
By the time symptoms first appear, the majority of these cells are lost forever, meaning the disease can progress for years before any of the telltale physical symptoms emerge—tremors, stiffness and slowness of movement, among others.
—Todd Weissman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
The slowness of the day, the blue sky rising tall above the house—a house Daithí has built for her and their two girls—Eloise, their baby, will sleep here, in the shade, windows open to the sea air.
—Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
Learning to sit with that uncertainty – to tolerate the slowness and mess of thinking things through rather than reaching for the frictionless answer – is where discernment begins.
—Kristi Girdharry, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
That slowness also applies to the mail itself.
—Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The slowness is part of its appeal.
—Kallie Plagge, The Verge, 19 Jan. 2026
After all, the best homes are born out of slowness rather than speed.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slowness
Noun
-
Hillsides covered in fuel The hills surrounding Concepción, Penco and Lirquén appear deep green from the air, carpeted in trees, and in the thickness of these forests lies an insidious risk.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
-
MacRumors thinks this could end up reducing the thickness of the iPhone’s display stack while improving brightness and minimizing power use.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
It’s known for its brightening properties, and Rare Beauty’s Always an Optimist Mist is chock-full of it—perfect for anyone experiencing a bout of dullness.—
Jennifer Hussein,
Allure,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The brand promises results in four weeks—we’re talking reduced fine lines, dullness, and dark circles, along with improved elasticity, thanks to collagen-stimulating regrowth that encourages a more youthful appearance.—
Lauren Pardee,
InStyle,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.—
Jonny Thomson,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Compare that to punk rock, which used dumbness as a tactic.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
That men like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are entrusted with businesses of tectonic influence can be difficult to understand, but their cults of personality have been able to survive scrutiny, perhaps because the money itself is too imposing a firewall for their own stupidity to penetrate.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Eric Swalwell, a prominent Democratic House member and a front-runner in the race for California governor, had his political career blown up by allegations of degeneracy and abject stupidity.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
What Vitamin D Actually Does in the Body Vitamin D supports calcium regulation, bone density, muscle function and brain health.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
-
This level of energy density is notably higher than the 150–250 Wh/kg range typically found in the conventional lithium-ion batteries used in current electronics and electric vehicles.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Tiernan is tall but carries the denseness of frame and core strength of a guard.—
Matthew Mowery,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Understand how rye works in baking Though dark, dense rye bread is delicious, rye flour does not inherently create denseness in other baked goods.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This was the most straightforward, efficient episode of the season, pleasurable in its simplicity, with only one gimmick (the to-go orders) that barely made a difference to the episode’s outcome.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
-
That simplicity is an advantage that baseball has over hockey, where everything moves so much faster and the plays don’t happen in discrete chunks.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There’s the White House and its malicious megaphone of mindlessness; the generative AI advocates and their pushy, pathetic ploys; the Major League Baseball owners and their dedication to self-destruction.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The show’s real villain is mindlessness, in other words.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slowness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slowness. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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