lengthy
Americanadjective
-
lengthier,
comparative
-
lengthiest
superlative
-
having or being of great length; very long.
a lengthy journey.
-
tediously verbose; very long; too long.
a lengthy speech.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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.
See Examples For:
But he warned the process was "lengthy" -- and they were in a race against time.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Finding a buyer proved to be a lengthy process.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Elsewhere there will be some scattered showers but many places in the south should see some lengthy dry spells with sunshine, and temperatures average for October.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Maybe his conning can be curtailed someday, but the thought there’d ever be enough distracting chaos for a similarly lengthy follow-up is almost too much to bear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
She saw him glance sideways at her as she passed; then his attention returned to his plate, heaped as it was with food, and to a lengthy joke one of his friends was telling.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
After pursuing the lengthier sentence against Beaird and defending it on appeal, the federal government now argues that his sentence should be vacated so that he can pursue a more lenient term.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
That backdoor, however, is far lengthier and more expensive than the Yanbu-Red Sea route.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
And although the recent dry spells are worthy of note, there have been some even lengthier drier spells of weather this year for certain parts of the country.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
The gold card currently remains an addition to the EB-5 program, a lengthier process for receiving permanent residency that requires an investment of at least $800,000 in a project that spurs economic development.
From Barron's ● Dec. 23, 2025
Many judges, prosecutors, and defense lawyers do a poor job of recognizing the special needs of the mentally disabled, which leads to wrongful convictions, lengthier prison terms, and high rates of recidivism.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
After the onset of the pandemic, Corning endured six consecutive quarters of shrinking revenue, its lengthiest drop since the 2001 telecom crash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026
Liu’s case appears to be one of the lengthiest deputy shooting investigations in recent sheriff’s department history, according to county records.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2023
Seattle had its lengthiest injury report of the season Thursday with 11 players not participating and three others limited.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2023
They were his strongest comments to date, one of the lengthiest and most passionate answers from Woods, who for so many years preferred that his clubs delivered the message.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 12, 2022
But the lengthiest story in the book, “The Farmer and the Hunt,” was unfamiliar to her, and she stared often and long at the illustration that accompanied it.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
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.
