What does drawlingly mean?
Drawlingly is an adverb meaning in a slow, drawn-out, and often tedious manner. It is especially applied to speech, movement, or storytelling that stretches every phrase or gesture and can make an audience impatient. The word carries a literary, mildly disparaging tone, although it may also be used playfully to imitate an affected or leisurely drawl. In contrast with simply slowly, drawlingly suggests more than a neutral description of speed: it implies an excessive, conspicuously elongated pace. A writer might describe a speaker whose delivery was “drawlingly monotonous,” or narrate a long and convoluted story that unfolded “drawlingly.” Because the term is relatively uncommon in ordinary modern conversation, it is especially effective in literary prose and period-style narration. It is also a precise way to characterize a pace as both slow and deliberately or unintentionally tedious.
adverbIn a slow, drawn-out, and often excessively tedious manner.
- In a slow, drawn-out, and often tedious or unappealing manner.
"Her drawlingly delivery made the short speech feel endless."
"The narrator's account unfolded drawlingly, stretching every detail into a long digression."
"He drawlingly apologized, repeating the same three excuses more than once."
Drawlingly does more than mean “slowly”: it makes patience part of the definition.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does drawlingly come from?
Drawlingly was formed in English by adding the adverbial suffix -ly to drawling. The older noun and verb drawl, attested from the 16th century, denote slow or drawn-out speech and are generally linked etymologically to draw, with their extended sound reflecting the notion of drawing something out. Related English forms such as drawing and drawn belong to the same wider family of words associated with pulling or drawing.
Related word forms
How drawlingly is actually used
Chiefly literary and somewhat old-fashioned; typically mildly disapproving, though it can be humorous when describing an intentionally affected manner. It is not restricted to a single English variety.
Easily confused with drawlingly
Drawlingly emphasizes an excessively slow or drawn-out quality of speech or movement, whereas dawdlingly emphasizes delay, hesitation, or the waste of time.