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
- lengthily adverb
- lengthiness noun
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.
“On the weaponization side, the damage appears to be like punching holes, creating bottlenecks in the multitiered, lengthy process of making the nuclear weapons itself,” Albright said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
The 58-year-old Canadian singer announced last month that she was returning to the stage for 16 concerts after a lengthy break prompted by a rare health condition.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Job security is a key feature of the job hunt these days, and searches for people who are unemployed can be lengthy.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
Ahead of the reunion’s premiere, Colletti and Conrad, both 40, and Cavallari, 39, convened for a lengthy interview with The Times at a beachfront hotel restaurant in Santa Monica.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
They ran like wild colts as before, and went to see Robin when they had a mind to, and had innumerable adventures too lengthy to be recorded.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
