slow learner
Needs extra help
Slow learner describes someone who takes longer than average to understand or master new information or skills.
The term appears in educational contexts but can sound patronizing or euphemistic when applied to adults: He's not stupid, just a slow learner.
It sometimes softens harsher judgments about intelligence, though it may still carry condescending overtones.
- strugglingExperiencing serious difficulty
- remedialIntended to fix problems
- behindAt the rear
- held backKept from advancing
- delayedMade to wait longer
falling behind · challenged · plodding · one step at a time · tutoring · extra time · patience · repetition · frustration · practice · effort · sitting still · gradual · stumbling · underachiever · homework · flashcards · painstaking
- Mind Idiomssharp mind, open mind, quick wit, bird brain, pea brain
- skill deficiencyincompetence, ineptitude, clumsiness, awkwardness, inexperience
- learner traitsstudious, grit, diligent, curious, inquisitive
- Learning Traitsaptitude, comprehension, retention, attention span, memory retention
- learning disabilitiesdyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, reading disorder
- late bloomerhidden talent, untapped potential, overnight success
slow learnerquick study
One who learns rapidly
fast learner · quick learner · quick on the uptake · sharp · quick-witted
slow learnergifted student
Intellectually advanced pupil
prodigy · genius · whiz kid · brainiac · wunderkind
slow, slower, slowest, slowly, slowness, slowed, slowing, slowdown, learn