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What word can be used to describe moving at a moderate pace?

  1. Moving Slowly describes slow speed.

  2. Moving Quickly describes fast speed.

I am looking for the best single word replacement. Moving Moderately is what comes to mind but doesn't satisfy me very much.

The context is to have a list of words from which a user can choose the best adverb to describe the speed of a moving object.

Detailed Context Working on a software tool for a person to use while monitoring video. In this software they will be able to assign different speeds to a "target" (not a person and not alive). I need to have a list of adverbs they can choose from (thus the reason for a single word, otherwise the list will look funny and be too complicated).

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  • 2
    Can we get a bit of context? Out-of-context, moderately or normally could work.
    – Othya
    Jun 12, 2015 at 16:05
  • 3
    Moving steadily implies no haste but no dawdling.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Jun 12, 2015 at 16:18
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    I think moving at a moderate pace might be less ambiguous than moving moderately.
    – Jim
    Jun 12, 2015 at 16:19
  • To me moving steadily (while it has some connotations with speed) refers more to whether the pace is changing or not.
    – Brett
    Jun 12, 2015 at 16:20
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    Note that Slowly and Quickly are not adjectives.
    – Jim
    Jun 12, 2015 at 16:21

4 Answers 4

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2

Try this:

  • Low speed
  • Medium speed
  • High Speed

This is simpler than trying to find a midpoint word between "slow(ly)" and "quick(ly)". This is the terminology you would see on a three-speed kitchen mixer, or a three-speed hair dryer.

Actually, on the speed-control labels these are often shortened to: - LO, MED, HI

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  • I decided that the adverbs were complicating things too much. This does the trick just fine.
    – Brett
    Jun 20, 2015 at 4:55
2

If you want something between slow and fast, you can try Average

A number expressing the central or typical value in a set of data, in particular the mode, median, or (most commonly) the mean, which is calculated by dividing the sum of the values in the set by their number: the proportion of over-60s is above the EU average of 19 per cent

or Medium.

The middle quality or state between two extremes; a reasonable balance: the song soon discovers a happy medium between thrash and catchy pop

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intermediate (adj.): coming between two things in time, place, character etc.

intermediately (adv.)

ODO

Although not specifically related to the speed of movement, the term indicates a midpoint between slow and fast. If you are building a drop-down list, you could enter field values as the adjectival forms.

I have substituted the term quick/ly with fast, as the former:

...applies particularly to something practically instantaneous, an action or reaction, perhaps of very brief duration: to give a quick look around; to take a quick walk.

The latter refers to:

...actions, movements etc., that continue for a time, and usually to those that are uninterrupted; when used of communication, transportation and the like, they suggest a definite goal and a continuous trip.

Dictionary.com [see: Synonyms]

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-1

I would use unhurriedly or deliberately.

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  • 1
    Welcome to the ElU :-). Your answer would be more helpful to the OP and the future users of the website if you added dictionary definitions and/or examples of usage with references, for your suggestions. Thanks!
    – Lucky
    Jun 12, 2015 at 22:04

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