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.
They made pizza and played video games and rode Walters’ motorcycle, sparking a lifelong interest.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
A statement relating to the woman's surviving daughter detailed the "catastrophic impact" on her explaining that it would be lifelong.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Being able to quantify the lifelong impact of student debt could have an impact on how Americans think about the “return on investment” of borrowing for higher education.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Screens and a lack of friendly workers has turned off customers such as Carolyn Blue, an attorney from Charleston, S.C., and lifelong McDonald’s fan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
From this experience, Alvarez drew the lifelong lesson that “a scientist can stay active as he grows older only by staying in touch with the youngest generation.”
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.
