long-lasting

American  

[lawng-las-ting, -lah-sting, long-] / ˈlɔŋˈlæs tɪŋ, -ˈlɑ stɪŋ, ˈlɒŋ- /

adjective

1. enduring or existing for a long period of time.

   a long-lasting friendship.

2. effective for a relatively long period of time.

   a long-lasting pain reliever.

3. 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

However, a long-lasting blockade would increase the risk that workers demand and secure higher wages, and that businesses raise prices of goods and services to cover their increased costs, prolonging the inflation bump.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

“I believe the situation in the Middle East will have meaningful and long-lasting implications for the global energy sector,” Miller said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

But another major water source for Southern California, the Colorado River, also has been affected by a long-lasting megadrought that began in 2000.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Merz warned the war's effects were likely to be long-lasting.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

The supernatural link between aesthetics, ratios, and the universe became one of the central and long-lasting tenets of Western civilization.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• abiding
• durable