slow-burn

plural slow-burns

1. alternativeAlternative form of slow burn.

comparative more slow-burn · superlative most slow-burn

1. idiomaticEmerging or unfolding slowly or gradually.

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

   2023 September 30, Patrick Wintour, “‘No turning back’: how the Ukraine war has profoundly changed the EU”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms: slow-burning

   1. idiomaticslangfictionDeveloping slowly over the course of the story.

      Slow burn fics, for instance, can go as far as having seventy thousand words before the character pairing even interacts.

      2020, Shania O'Brien, "The horny POV: Evolution of modern fanfiction", Honi Soit (University of Sydney), Week 5, Semester 5 (2020), page 18

      3 more examples

      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.

      2018, Jessica Spotswood, The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls, unnumbered page

      Since most respondents who prefer slow-burn fics are on the asexual spectrum, this is not surprising, as they are less likely to desire sexual experiences with others in general.

      2018, Lindsay Mixer, "'And Then They Boned': An Analysis Of Fanfiction And Its Influence On Sexual Development", thesis submitted Humboldt State University, page 48

      Chatbots were also bad at building sexual tension — the slow-burn, will-they-or-won’t-they plotlines that romance readers crave. When told to craft a love scene, the bots usually jumped straight to the obvious narrative climax.

      2026 February 8, Alexandra Alter, “The New Fabio Is Claude”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

      Synonyms: slow-burning

present singular third person slow-burns · participle present slow-burning · participle past slow-burned · past slow-burned

1. intransitiverareTo emerge or unfold slowly.

   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]

   2024 August 9, Laura Snapes, “It’s a femininomenon! How Chappell Roan slow-burned her way to stardom”, in The Guardian