long-ago

American  

[lawng-uh-goh, long-] / ˈlɔŋ əˌgoʊ, ˈlɒŋ- /

adjective

1. of or relating to the distant past or to remote events; ancient.

   long-ago exploits remembered only in folk tales.

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long ago Idioms  

1. A time well before the present, the distant past. For example, I read that book long ago, or The battles of long ago were just as fierce. [Second half of 1300s]

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Etymology

Origin of long-ago

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

Unlike the long-ago transition to the cloud, which undid many existing software firms, incumbents aren’t being complacent this time around.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Aside from medical ailments, you may sense that long-ago unresolved issues — ruptured relationships, grievous losses, life-altering decisions — undermine your well-being in subtle but significant ways.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 7, 2026

By dint of pandemic pauses and far-flung locales around the U.K.’s Cotswolds and on the Welsh Borders, the lineup managed to quietly ferment and realize some of that long-ago unknown magical mystery.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025

One of the pleasures here is witnessing both actors reanimate the rhythms of a long-ago conversation, their text absent the typical tidiness of a screenplay and instead an interwoven network of inflection, attitude, allusion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

Finally, as exhausted almost by the telling as she had been when she reached the top of the cliff that long-ago dawn, she described the terrible trade she had made.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry

Related Words

• earlier
• early
• late
• old
• preceding
• previous
• prior
• recent