Slow-burn

adj, noun, verb, slang

adj, noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1
Alternative form of slow burn. alt-of, alternative

Verb

1
To emerge or unfold slowly. intransitive, rare
"When the Missouri-born 26-year-old released her debut album last September, it marked the beginning of a slow-burning second act in pop. [see title]"

Adjective

1
Emerging or unfolding slowly or gradually. idiomatic
"This restructuring is a slow-burn disaster for the funding of the Russian war machine."
2
Emerging or unfolding slowly or gradually.; Developing slowly over the course of the story. idiomatic, slang
"Clarke and Lexa's slow-burn romance—and the fan fiction that Vi devoured about it —led to her joining Tumblr and starting to write her own fanfic."

Synonyms

Example

"This restructuring is a slow-burn disaster for the funding of the Russian war machine."

More for "slow-burn"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.