slightly delay

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "slightly delay" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a minor postponement or a small amount of time added to a schedule or timeline. Example: "We may need to slightly delay the project deadline to ensure quality."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

If you're worried about stronger hurricanes flooding coasts, he says, concentrate on limiting coastal development and expanding wetlands right now rather than trying to slightly delay warming decades from now.

The New York Times - Science

Sprint expects to slightly delay launch of the Touch Pro by HTC to ensure we have adequate inventory in all channels before making the device commercially available.

TechCrunch

Once he nearly missed his great-grandmother's funeral for a roll call, but the presiding officer was able to slightly delay the closing the roll, thereby keeping his attendance record.

Wikipedia

Therefore, even without leading to heterocyst differentiation, such a transient increase in hetR transcription may slightly delay the cell division, as is much more evident for heterocyst forming cells that do not divide anymore.

Plosone

Spontaneous fragile site expression in the form of chromosome breakage is rare in cultured human cells, but can be triggered and enhanced by treatment of cells with agents such as aphidicolin that slightly delay DNA replication fork progression [3], [52].

Plosone

Education appears to slightly delay the onset of terminal decline.

Age and Ageing

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

49 human-written examples

The conclusion was slightly delayed by Smith's defiant hitting.

Independent

Clients, he said, have been very understanding that their money may have been slightly delayed.

The New York Times

Its opening has been slightly delayed, but this will soon be forgotten.

The Guardian - Arts

Slightly delaying the delivery of birth certificates yielded savings of $402,000.

The New York Times

What distinguishes the beat in jazz is that it is slightly delayed.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing technical documentation, use "slightly delay" to describe the impact of a process or operation on the overall timeline, emphasizing that the impact is minimal.

Common error

Avoid using "slightly delay" when the postponement is significant. Choose stronger terms like "substantially delay" or "significantly postpone" if the delay has a considerable impact.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "slightly delay" functions primarily as a verb phrase, where "delay" is the main verb and "slightly" modifies it, indicating the extent of the delay. Ludwig AI demonstrates this in numerous contexts, showcasing its role in describing actions affecting timelines.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

34%

News & Media

58%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

2%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "slightly delay" is a verb phrase used to communicate a minor postponement, fitting across various contexts from scientific reports to news articles. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is grammatically sound. While seemingly simple, it is key to avoid overstating delays, so it's recommended to use alternative phrases if the delay has a considerable impact. Alternatives such as "mildly postpone" or "briefly hold up" can be used to provide variations in wording while maintaining the core meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

postpone a little

Maintains the concept of postponement, simply replacing "slightly" with "a little".

mildly postpone

Replaces "delay" with "postpone" and "slightly" with "mildly", emphasizing a temporary hold.

put off briefly

Offers an alternative using the phrasal verb "put off" to indicate postponement, paired with "briefly".

briefly hold up

Uses "hold up" to suggest a short interruption or delay, "briefly" replacing "slightly".

somewhat decelerate

Shifts the focus to slowing down a process or action, using "decelerate" instead of "delay" and "somewhat" instead of "slightly".

slow down just a bit

Focuses on deceleration using "slow down", modified by "just a bit" for a slight effect.

marginally impede

Implies a slight hindrance or obstruction, with "impede" substituting "delay" and "marginally" replacing "slightly".

retard slightly

Uses "retard" as a synonym for slowing progress, qualified by "slightly".

temporarily slow down

Directly addresses the slowing of speed, with "slow down" instead of "delay" and "temporarily" instead of "slightly".

set back a tad

Employs the idiom "set back" to indicate a small delay, quantified by "a tad".

FAQs

What does "slightly delay" mean?

The phrase "slightly delay" means to postpone something by a small amount of time or to cause a minor setback. It indicates that the delay is not significant and will likely not have a major impact.

How can I use "slightly delay" in a sentence?

You can use "slightly delay" to describe a minor postponement: "The bad weather may "slightly delay" the arrival of the flight."

Are there synonyms for "slightly delay"?

Yes, you can use phrases like "mildly postpone", "briefly hold up", or "somewhat decelerate" as alternatives to "slightly delay", depending on the specific context.

What is the difference between "slightly delay" and "significantly delay"?

"Slightly delay" implies a minor and often inconsequential postponement, whereas "significantly delay" indicates a major postponement that could have noticeable consequences.