long-lasting
Americanadjective
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enduring or existing for a long period of time.
a long-lasting friendship.
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effective for a relatively long period of time.
a long-lasting pain reliever.
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resisting the effects of wear or use over a long period.
a long-lasting fabric used for work clothes.
Etymology
Origin of long-lasting
First recorded in 1520–30
Explanation
Long-lasting things stick around for a while. If the medicine you're taking for your sore throat has long-lasting side effects, they'll affect you for many weeks or even months. A long-lasting relationship lasts for years, and long-lasting makeup stays on your face all day, until you wash it off at night. This adjective can mean that something is durable or resilient, or in other words that it holds up over time. Other things are simply long-lasting by coincidence — they've just been there for a long time.
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.
Bedbugs have become resistant to modern insecticide sprays, which makes them very difficult to kill and having an infestation can have long-lasting effects, according to Naylor.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
One is that the AI boom will be so big and long-lasting that it’ll extend years beyond analysts’ forecast horizon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Researchers found that T cells can detect how stiff their surrounding tissues are and use this physical information to influence whether they develop into long-lasting memory cells.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
The agreement also offers long-lasting protections for Betancourt and unnamed investors.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
The long-lasting, crowded populations suggested in Acre are exactly the sort that archaeologists long thought were ecologically impossible.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
