Drawlingly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a slow, lazy way of speaking that stretches out the vowels and makes each word sound unhurried
2. Speaking in an unhurried, languid fashion that prolongs syllables and gives the voice a lazy quality
3. With a slow, elongated manner of talking, as when someone stretches their words out lazily

Etymology: "Drawlingly" is simply "drawling" with the adverb ending "-ly" attached, and it describes speaking or acting in a slow, elongated, lazy-sounding way. "Drawling" itself is the form of "drawl," the verb meaning to speak with long, slow vowels, and the suffix "-ly" turns the adjective "drawling" into an adverb of manner, as in "he answered drawlingly." The base verb "drawl" is the more interesting part of the story: it is the older, looser relative of "drag," and it carries the idea of pulling something out at length. Because a drawn-out voice seems to stretch its syllables the way a slow object is dragged along, the sense of lengthening led naturally to describing speech with stretched-out vowels.

Synonyms: lazily, slowly

Antonyms: briskly, quickly