lengthy
Americanadjective
-
having or being of great length; very long.
a lengthy journey.
-
tediously verbose; very long; too long.
a lengthy speech.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lengthy
Explanation
Lengthy things are long and drawn out. Your teacher's lengthy lecture might extend far beyond the end of class and leave many people dozing at their desks. The adjective lengthy is almost always used to describe a duration of time (or sometimes a long piece of writing), rather than the physical length of something. So long-lasting speeches and endless waits at the bus stop could both be called lengthy, but you wouldn't describe your friend's long hair that way. Lengthy is an 18th century American invention, also adopted by the British in the nineteenth century.
Vocabulary lists containing lengthy
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.
The broad language of the federal compassionate release statute allows for prisoners to file for relief from a lengthy sentence so long as rehabilitation alone does not provide the justification.
From Slate • May 29, 2026
Following the defeat, his packed schedule, which also included lengthy runs to back-to-back hard-court crowns in Indian Wells and Miami in March, was called into question.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
It doesn’t have to be a lengthy narrative.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
The states have traditionally supported federal enforcers who steer antitrust investigations that are often lengthy, complicated and costly.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
She began to associate with Ralph Myers, a white man with a badly disfigured face and lengthy criminal record who seemed to perfectly embody her fall from grace.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
