livelong
Americanadjective
adjective
-
(of time) long or seemingly long, esp in a tedious way (esp in the phrase all the livelong day )
-
whole; entire
noun
Etymology
Origin of livelong
1350–1400; alteration (by association with live 1 ) of earlier leeve long, Middle English leve longe dear long. See lief, long 1
Vocabulary lists containing livelong
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.
If we had wind chimes, it would’ve been a Lollapalooza monsoon of surly zephyrs all the livelong night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
How dreary to be somebody / How public, like a frog / To tell your name the livelong day / To an admiring bog.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2022
After this surgery, 40 percent of patients have a serious postoperative complication, 50 percent have livelong digestive problems, and 10 percent develop diabetes.
From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2022
Suffice it to say that it doesn’t exactly boost morale to be greeted by an endless string of indignant, agonised, horror-movie-outtake variations on “How did you get this number?” all the livelong day.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 2, 2019
For once, my sisters and I got excused from spending the whole livelong morning playing Ding Dong Schoolhouse with Mother.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
