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.
“For the first time in history we can treat one of the biggest problems humans have—emotional wounds that have a lifelong impact,” Greenwald says.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Ultimately, she is choosing between a lower guaranteed income starting at age 63 and a higher lifelong guaranteed income starting at 67.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
The two were lifelong friends, meeting in fifth grade while living in Harlem.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
"Yesterday was one of our best moments in life and what a time to support Aston Villa," Boakye, a lifelong Villa fan, told BBC Newsday.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Some of these new friendships would be lifelong.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
