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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.
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]

Etymology

Origin of long-ago

First recorded in 1825–35

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.

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

Coming to terms with long-ago mistakes and regrets requires humility and sincerity.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 2, 2025

This remained the accepted story until last December, when Buck, a medical research entrepreneur and architecture buff, stumbled on a long-ago post by York about Mosher’s tale.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

She still bristles at his impenitence in poaching her long-ago words and deeds for what she calls his “Little Girl Stories,” but she has a more nuanced view of the complicated man who raised her.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

But though this explanation makes sense on engineering grounds, he said, it doesn’t make the long-ago actions of the moundbuilders any less mysterious.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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.