adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of long-lived
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at long 1, lived
Explanation
Long-lived things have been around for a very long time. By the smell of your couch, you may want to describe it as long-lived. You can describe people who live to be quite old as long-lived: "All the men in my family are remarkably long-lived." It's also a good word for talking about inanimate objects that keep working for a long time, or even ideas that stick around: "His childhood plan to join the circus turned out to be long-lived — it was still his dream at the age of 35."
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.
Here’s a brief compendium of some of those appearances, forgotten or well-remembered, in series short- or long-lived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Garden designer Ann-Marie Powell created test beds of long-lived plants happy in high temperatures, including Siskiyou Pink plants, native to the southern United States.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
My wife’s female relatives, however, have generally been quite long-lived, often living into their 90s while retaining clear minds.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
"This long-lived tectonic landscape provides a missing piece in understanding why erosion associated with the Great Unconformity varies so dramatically across the southwestern US," said Prof Gernon.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
Lawrence granted him priority access to both the thirty-seven-inch and sixty-inch cyclotrons for a “systematic and energetic campaign” to find long-lived radioactive isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, or oxygen, with carbon-14 the main quarry.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
