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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

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

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

What makes me sad is that her use of Ginsburg’s long-ago comments is not even original.

From Slate • Sep. 29, 2025

Tranquilino Jeantete had lost one ear tip to frostbite during the same long-ago winter that the Strawberry Mesa Body Shop and Pipe Queen operator, Ruby Archuleta, killed a deer with her bare hands.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

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.