Learn English – Meaning of “slow-building”

meaningmeaning-in-contextphrases

What does slow-building mean in that sentence? Does it mean "movements that were built slowly"?

Some of our stories are about slow-building movements that display great momentum and dexterity in the use of nonviolent power but forsake short-term gains for long-term dreams. Other stories are about rapidly organized campaigns […].

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Best Answer

This sentence is about social movements, associations of people with a common goal (probably political). A movement is slow-building if it starts with few people and little media recognition, and progressively becomes better known. The movement builds up slowly over time, as it gathers more participants and organizes more activities. Slow-building implies that the movement was built slowly, as a result of a sustained effort or a passive rise towards success, and that this building up is still ongoing.

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