Fast vs. Slow: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Updated on October 7, 2023
Fast means moving or capable of moving at high speed; slow indicates a lack of speed or a slower pace than desired.
Key Differences
Fast and slow are contrasting terms used to describe the rate or speed of an action, movement, or occurrence. Fast indicates a high speed, a swift progression, or a quick occurrence.
It's a term that often carries with it a sense of urgency or efficiency. For instance, a fast runner completes a race in less time than others. Slow, on the other hand, signifies a pace that is unhurried, leisurely, or sluggish.
If a process is described as slow, it's taking longer than one might expect or desire. When it comes to perception, something fast might be seen as efficient or even hasty, whereas something slow might be viewed as methodical or, in some cases, lagging. It's essential to understand that these terms are relative and can be subjective based on individual expectations. For example, what one person deems fast, another might find average or even slow.
Lastly, both fast and slow have broader applications beyond just speed. Fasting, for instance, relates to abstaining from food, while slow can describe a deliberate approach to understanding or appreciating something.
Comparison Chart
Speed
High-speed movement or action
Lacks speed or is slower than desired
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Perception
Often seen as efficient or hasty
Viewed as methodical or lagging
Time Frame
Shorter duration
Longer duration
Relative Understanding
Might be subjective based on expectations
Subjectivity can deem something slow
Broader Meanings
Can relate to abstaining from food
Can indicate a deliberate approach
Fast and Slow Definitions
Fast
Acting, moving, or capable of acting or moving quickly; swift.
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Slow
Marked by a retarded tempo
A slow waltz.
Fast
Acquired quickly with little effort and sometimes unscrupulously
Made a fast buck scalping tickets.
Slow
Calm and relaxed.
Let's take a slow walk in the park.
Fast
Moving at high speed.
The car was going too fast for the conditions.
Slow
Music or tempo that is leisurely.
I enjoy the slow melodies of classical music.
Fast
Firmly fixed or secure.
Hold on fast to the railing.
Slow
Not moving or able to move quickly; proceeding at a low speed
A slow train.
Slow walkers.
Fast
Abstaining from food or specific foods.
He decided to fast for spiritual reasons.
Slow
Taking or requiring a long time
The slow job of making bread.
Fast
Accomplished in relatively little time
A fast visit.
Slow
Taking more time than is usual
A slow worker.
Slow progress in the peace negotiations.
Fast
Quick to understand or learn; mentally agile
A class for the faster students.
Slow
Allowing movement or action only at a low speed
A slow track.
A slow infield.
Fast
Indicating a time somewhat ahead of the actual time
The clock is fast.
Slow
Registering a time or rate behind or below the correct one
A slow clock.
Fast
Allowing rapid movement or action
A fast running track.
Slow
Lacking in promptness or willingness; not precipitate
They were slow to accept our invitation.
Fast
Designed for or compatible with a short exposure time
Fast film.
Slow
Characterized by a low volume of sales or transactions
Business was slow today.
Fast
Disposed to dissipation; wild
Ran with a fast crowd.
Slow
Lacking liveliness or interest; boring
A slow party.
Fast
Flouting conventional moral standards; sexually promiscuous.
Slow
Not having or exhibiting intellectual or mental quickness
A slow learner.
Fast
Resistant, as to destruction or fading
Fast colors.
Slow
Only moderately warm; low
A slow oven.
Fast
Firmly fixed or fastened
A fast grip.
Slow
So as to fall behind the correct time or rate
The watch runs slow.
Fast
Fixed firmly in place; secure
Shutters that are fast against the rain.
Slow
At a low speed
Go slow!.
Fast
Lasting; permanent
Fast rules and regulations.
Slow
To make slow or slower.
Fast
Deep; sound
In a fast sleep.
Slow
To delay; retard.
Fast
In a secure manner; tightly
Hold fast.
Slow
To become slow or slower.
Fast
To a sound degree; deeply
Fast asleep.
Slow
Taking a long time to move or go a short distance, or to perform an action; not quick in motion; proceeding at a low speed.
A slow train;
A slow computer
Fast
In a rapid manner; quickly.
Slow
Not happening in a short time; spread over a comparatively long time.
Fast
In quick succession
New ideas followed fast.
Slow
Of reduced intellectual capacity; not quick to comprehend.
Fast
Ahead of the correct or expected time
A watch that runs fast.
Slow
Not hasty; not tending to hurry; acting with deliberation or caution.
Fast
In a dissipated, immoderate way
Living fast.
Slow
(of a clock or the like) Behind in time; indicating a time earlier than the true time.
That clock is slow.
Fast
(Archaic) Close by; near.
Slow
Lacking spirit; deficient in liveliness or briskness.
Fast
To abstain from food.
Slow
(of a period of time) Not busy; lacking activity.
It was a slow news day, so the editor asked us to make our articles wordier.
I'm just sitting here with a desk of cards, enjoying a slow afternoon.
Fast
To eat very little or abstain from certain foods, especially as a religious discipline.
Slow
(transitive) To make (something) run, move, etc. less quickly; to reduce the speed of.
Slow the process
Fast
The act or practice of abstaining from or eating very little food.
Slow
(transitive) To keep from going quickly; to hinder the progress of.
Slow the traffic
Fast
A period of such abstention or self-denial.
Slow
(intransitive) To become slow; to slacken in speed; to decelerate.
Fast
(dated) Firmly or securely fixed in place; stable.
That rope is dangerously loose. Make it fast!
Slow
Someone who is slow; a sluggard.
Fast
Firm against attack; fortified by nature or art; impregnable; strong.
Slow
(music) A slow song.
Fast
(of people) Steadfast, with unwavering feeling. (Now mostly in set phrases like fast friend(s).)
Slow
Slowly.
That clock is running slow.
I want to dance with you nice and slow
Fast
Moving with great speed, or capable of doing so; swift, rapid.
I am going to buy a fast car.
Slow
Slew.
Fast
Having a kinetic energy between 1 million and 20 million electron volts; often used to describe the energy state of free neutrons at the moment of their release by a nuclear fission or nuclear fusion reaction (i.e., before the neutrons have been slowed down by anything).
Plutonium-240 has a much higher fission cross-section for fast neutrons than for thermal neutrons.
Slow
Moving a short space in a relatively long time; not swift; not quick in motion; not rapid; moderate; deliberate; as, a slow stream; a slow motion.
Fast
Of a place, characterised by business, hustle and bustle, etc.
Slow
Not happening in a short time; gradual; late.
These changes in the heavens, though slow, producedLike change on sea and land, sidereal blast.
Fast
Causing unusual rapidity of play or action.
A fast racket, or tennis court
A fast track
A fast billiard table
A fast dance floor
Slow
Not ready; not prompt or quick; dilatory; sluggish; as, slow of speech, and slow of tongue.
Fixed on defense, the Trojans are not slowTo guard their shore from an expected foe.
Fast
Able to transfer data in a short period of time.
Slow
Not hasty; not precipitate; acting with deliberation; tardy; inactive.
He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding.
Fast
Deep or sound (of sleep); fast asleep (of people).
Slow
Behind in time; indicating a time earlier than the true time; as, the clock or watch is slow.
Fast
(of dyes or colours) Not running or fading when subjected to detrimental conditions such as wetness or intense light; permanent.
All the washing has come out pink. That red tee-shirt was not fast.
Slow
Not advancing or improving rapidly; as, the slow growth of arts and sciences.
Fast
(obsolete) Tenacious; retentive.
Slow
Heavy in wit; not alert, prompt, or spirited; wearisome; dull.
Fast
(dated) Having an extravagant lifestyle or immoral habits.
A fast woman
Slow
Slowly.
Let him have time to mark how slow time goesIn time of sorrow.
Fast
Ahead of the correct time or schedule.
There must be something wrong with the hall clock. It is always fast.
Slow
To render slow; to slacken the speed of; to retard; to delay; as, to slow a steamer.
Fast
(of photographic film) More sensitive to light than average.
Slow
To go slower; - often with up; as, the train slowed up before crossing the bridge.
Fast
In a firm or secure manner, securely; in such a way as not to be moved; safe, sound .
Hold this rope as fast as you can.
Slow
A moth.
Fast
(of sleeping) Deeply or soundly .
He is fast asleep.
Slow
Lose velocity; move more slowly;
The car decelerated
Fast
Immediately following in place or time; close, very near .
The horsemen came fast on our heels.
Fast by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped. / That ain't my style, said Casey. Strike one, the umpire said.
Slow
Become slow or slower;
Production slowed
Fast
Quickly, with great speed; within a short time .
Do it as fast as you can.
Slow
Cause to proceed more slowly;
The illness slowed him down
Fast
Ahead of the correct time or schedule.
I think my watch is running fast.
Slow
Not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time;
A slow walker
The slow lane of traffic
Her steps were slow
He was slow in reacting to the news
Slow but steady growth
Fast
A train that calls at only some stations it passes between its origin and destination, typically just the principal stations
Slow
At a slow tempo;
The band played a slow waltz
Fast
The act or practice of fasting, religious abstinence from food
Slow
Slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity;
So dense he never understands anything I say to him
Never met anyone quite so dim
Although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick
Dumb officials make some really dumb decisions
He was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse
Worked with the slow students
Fast
One of the fasting periods in the liturgical year
Slow
(used of timepieces) indicating a time earlier than the correct time;
The clock is slow
Fast
(archery) Short for "stand fast", a warning not to pass between the arrow and the target
Slow
So lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness;
A boring evening with uninteresting people
The deadening effect of some routine tasks
A dull play
His competent but dull performance
A ho-hum speaker who couldn't capture their attention
What an irksome task the writing of long letters is
Tedious days on the train
The tiresome chirping of a cricket
Other people's dreams are dreadfully wearisome
Fast
(intransitive) To practice religious abstinence, especially from food.
Slow
(of business) not active or brisk;
Business is dull (or slow)
A sluggish market
Fast
To reduce or limit one's nutrition intake for medical or health reasons, to diet.
Slow
Without speed (`slow' is sometimes used informally for `slowly');
He spoke slowly
Go easy here--the road is slippery
Glaciers move tardily
Please go slow so I can see the sights
Fast
To abstain from food; to omit to take nourishment in whole or in part; to go hungry.
Fasting he went to sleep, and fasting waked.
Slow
Of timepieces;
The clock is almost an hour slow
My watch is running behind
Fast
To practice abstinence as a religious exercise or duty; to abstain from food voluntarily for a time, for the mortification of the body or appetites, or as a token of grief, or humiliation and penitence.
Thou didst fast and weep for the child.
Slow
Not quick or fast.
The traffic made me slow on my commute.
Fast
Abstinence from food; omission to take nourishment.
Surfeit is the father of much fast.
Slow
Taking more time than is necessary or usual.
The computer is running slow today.
Fast
Voluntary abstinence from food, for a space of time, as a spiritual discipline, or as a token of religious humiliation.
Slow
Lacking in promptness or action.
He was slow to respond to the email.
Fast
A time of fasting, whether a day, week, or longer time; a period of abstinence from food or certain kinds of food; as, an annual fast.
Fast
That which fastens or holds; especially, (Naut.) a mooring rope, hawser, or chain; - called, according to its position, a bow, head, quarter, breast, or stern fast; also, a post on a pier around which hawsers are passed in mooring.
Fast
Firmly fixed; closely adhering; made firm; not loose, unstable, or easily moved; immovable; as, to make fast the door.
There is an order that keeps things fast.
Fast
Firm against attack; fortified by nature or art; impregnable; strong.
Outlaws . . . lurking in woods and fast places.
Fast
Firm in adherence; steadfast; not easily separated or alienated; faithful; as, a fast friend.
Fast
Permanent; not liable to fade by exposure to air or by washing; durable; lasting; as, fast colors.
Fast
Tenacious; retentive.
Roses, damask and red, are fast flowers of their smells.
Fast
Not easily disturbed or broken; deep; sound.
All this while in a most fast sleep.
Fast
Moving rapidly; quick in mition; rapid; swift; as, a fast horse.
Fast
Given to pleasure seeking; disregardful of restraint; reckless; wild; dissipated; dissolute; as, a fast man; a fast liver.
Fast
In such a condition, as to resilience, etc., as to make possible unusual rapidity of play or action; as, a fast racket, or tennis court; a fast track; a fast billiard table, etc.
Fast
In a fast, fixed, or firmly established manner; fixedly; firmly; immovably.
We will bind thee fast.
Fast
In a fast or rapid manner; quickly; swiftly; extravagantly; wildly; as, to run fast; to live fast.
He, after Eve seduced, unminded slunkInto the wood fast by.
Fast by the throne obsequious Fame resides.
Fast
Abstaining from food
Fast
Abstain from certain foods, as for religious or medical reasons;
Catholics sometimes fast during Lent
Fast
Abstain from eating;
Before the medical exam, you must fast
Fast
Acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly;
Fast film
On the fast track in school
Set a fast pace
A fast car
Fast
(used of timepieces) indicating a time ahead of or later than the correct time;
My watch is fast
Fast
At a rapid tempo;
The band played a fast fox trot
Fast
(of surfaces) conducive to rapid speeds;
A fast road
Grass courts are faster than clay
Fast
Firmly fastened or secured against opening;
Windows and doors were all fast
A locked closet
Left the house properly secured
Fast
Resistant to destruction or fading;
Fast colors
Fast
Unrestrained by convention or morality;
Congreve draws a debauched aristocratic society
Deplorably dissipated and degraded
Riotous living
Fast women
Fast
Hurried and brief;
Paid a flying visit
Took a flying glance at the book
A quick inspection
A fast visit
Fast
Securely fixed in place;
The post was still firm after being hit by the car
Fast
Unwavering in devotion to friend or vow or cause;
A firm ally
Loyal supporters
The true-hearted soldier...of Tippecanoe
Fast friends
Fast
Quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form);
How fast can he get here?
Ran as fast as he could
Needs medical help fast
Fast-running rivers
Fast-breaking news
Fast-opening (or fast-closing) shutters
Fast
Firmly or tightly;
Held fast to the rope
Her foot was stuck fast
Held tight
Fast
Quick to understand or learn.
She's fast at picking up new concepts.
Fast
Intended to be in a position without moving.
The colors remained fast even after washing.
FAQs
Is fast always related to movement?
No, fast can also refer to abstaining from food or something firmly secured.
Can slow ever be a positive description?
Yes, slow can indicate a methodical or deliberate approach which can be positive.
Can slow music be energetic?
Slow music can carry emotional intensity, but it typically has a leisurely tempo.
Is the perception of fast and slow subjective?
Yes, what's deemed fast or slow can vary based on individual expectations.
Can a slow start be followed by a fast finish?
Absolutely, many races or processes can start slow and finish fast.
Can slow be used to describe someone's understanding?
Yes, saying someone is "slow to understand" means they take longer to grasp concepts.
What does fast generally imply in terms of speed?
Fast implies a high speed or swift progression.
How can one speed up a slow computer?
Cleaning up disk space, updating software, or removing malware can make a computer faster.
What's the opposite of a fast-paced environment?
A slow-paced or relaxed environment.
Can a fast decision ever lead to slow results?
Yes, hasty decisions might sometimes lead to longer outcomes if not thought through.
Are there health benefits to fasting?
Some believe fasting can detoxify the body and improve metabolism, but it's essential to consult a doctor.
Is it always beneficial to be fast?
Not always, being too fast can sometimes lead to mistakes or oversight.
Can being slow be strategic?
Yes, taking things slow can be a strategy, especially when deliberation and careful planning are required.
Can something be both fast and slow in different contexts?
Yes, a process might be fast compared to one method but slow compared to another.
Is fasting strictly a religious practice?
While often associated with religion, fasting can also be done for health or personal reasons.
How does slow cooking work?
Slow cooking involves cooking food at a low temperature for a long duration, enhancing flavors.
Are fast and slow opposites?
In terms of speed, they are generally considered opposites.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
