Meaning & use
slowly improve
Last updated
Meanings
phraseintransitive
To become better little by little over time.
Grammar: No object; the subject is the thing that gets better. Often used with at: slowly improve at something.
Patterns
- slowly improve at something
- slowly improve over time
- slowly improve with practice
Her English is slowly improving thanks to daily practice.
The weather slowly improved as the morning went on.
If you keep exercising, your strength will slowly improve.
phrasetransitive
To make something better in small stages over time.
Grammar: Takes an object: slowly improve something. This use is less common than the intransitive one; 'gradually improve' is more usual.
Patterns
- slowly improve something
- slowly improve the situation
The company is slowly improving its customer service.
We need to slowly improve the quality of our products.
Common combinations
- slowly improve at something
- He is slowly improving at playing the piano.
- slowly improve over time
- Your health will slowly improve over time if you rest.
- slowly improve with practice
- Speaking skills slowly improve with practice.
- slowly improve the situation
- The new manager hopes to slowly improve the situation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gradually improve
- Very similar, but 'gradually' often suggests a steady, step-by-step change, while 'slowly' just means not quickly.
- get better
- More informal and general; it can mean recover from illness too, which 'slowly improve' does not usually suggest.
- progress
- Focuses on moving forward toward a goal; 'slowly improve' focuses on the result being better.
Opposites
Word family
- improve verb
- To make or become better; the base verb without 'slowly'.
- improvement noun
- A change that makes something better, or the process of getting better.
- slow adjective
- Moving or happening without much speed; the opposite of fast.
- slowly adverb
- At a low speed; not quickly.
Commonly confused: slowly improve or slowly improve on?
slowly improve vs slowly improve on
To 'improve on' something means to do better than it, not just to get better. 'Slowly improve' alone means gradual betterment.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The phrase is intransitive and takes 'at' before the skill: slowly improve at something. Option 2 misses 'at', option 3 uses the base form 'improve' instead of the -ing form after 'is', and option 4 uses the noun 'improvement' where a verb is needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “slowly improve”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.