lifelong
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of lifelong
Explanation
Something lifelong lasts your entire life, or for most of it. A lifelong friendship might have begun in kindergarten, and it continues today. You can describe your grandfather as a lifelong Republican if he's voted for the Republican candidate in every election all through his life. You could also say you have a lifelong hatred of green vegetables if you've refused broccoli and spinach since you first ate solid food. The word lifelong, meaning "continuing for a lifetime," was coined in the nineteenth century.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lifelong Middletown resident Ian Reddinger, 37, recalls relatives telling war stories about surviving the accident, but the businessman and borough council member now looks forward to a promised economic upswing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025
Raschke is the author of “Trading Sardines: Lessons in the Market from a Lifelong Trader,” an account of what she’s learned in decades of market experience.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 17, 2025
Education and Lifelong Learning Minister Rob Ward congratulated all the students elected to their school councils, calling it "a big responsibility but also a fantastic opportunity".
From BBC • Oct. 8, 2025
Lifelong fan Scott Detki, who acknowledged feeling more detached from the Bruins than usual, said he would be driven to learn about a successful team.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025
O, block by block, with sore and sharp endeavor, Lifelong we build these human natures up Into a temple fit for freedom's shrine, And Trial ever consecrates the cup Wherefrom we pour her sacrificial wine.
From Poems of James Russell Lowell With biographical sketch by Nathan Haskell Dole by Lowell, James Russell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
