adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of long-lived
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at long 1, lived
Explanation
Long-lived things have been around for a very long time. By the smell of your couch, you may want to describe it as long-lived. You can describe people who live to be quite old as long-lived: "All the men in my family are remarkably long-lived." It's also a good word for talking about inanimate objects that keep working for a long time, or even ideas that stick around: "His childhood plan to join the circus turned out to be long-lived — it was still his dream at the age of 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.
Here’s a brief compendium of some of those appearances, forgotten or well-remembered, in series short- or long-lived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Garden designer Ann-Marie Powell created test beds of long-lived plants happy in high temperatures, including Siskiyou Pink plants, native to the southern United States.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
My wife’s female relatives, however, have generally been quite long-lived, often living into their 90s while retaining clear minds.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
"We can learn so much about vision and longevity from long-lived species like the Greenland shark, so having the funds to do research like this is very important."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Darwin’s “considerable relief” could not have been long-lived; he would soon be awoken from his “mad dream.”
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
