3 adjectives to describe lagging

When thyroxin is administered in a single dose, there is a distinct lag in the absorption of it by the tissues.

In New Zealand the English conditions are reversed; the municipal lags far behind the central authority on the path of experiment.

"One drowsy afternoon there came to my shop a smallish, shabby-looking man, quiet and civil in manner and peculiarly wooden as to his countenance; in short, a typical 'old lag.'

3 adjectives to describe  lagging