longueur
Americannoun
-
longueurs
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of longueur
1815–25; < French: literally, length
Explanation
A longueur is a section of a book or movie or play that's really tedious or boring. You might love the movie "West Side Story," except for the longueur of the dream sequence that features a ballet dance. You'll often come across this word in its plural form, longueurs, as when a book reviewer notes the longueurs of a writer's descriptions of the English countryside, or your aunt starts to snore during the longueurs of a play's third act. You can use this noun for any dull spell, but it's mostly a literary or performing arts term, from the French longueur, "length," and the Latin root longus, "long."
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.
See Examples For:
And no longueur or flubbed cue breaks the spell of her compassionate, witty production.
From New York Times ● May 6, 2022
The report’s account of their activities constitutes what we in the book-reviewing trade like to refer to as a longueur.
From Slate ● Apr. 22, 2019
This should not be seen as languor, or dismissed as longueur.
From The Guardian ● May 11, 2013
"The Book of Chet" evokes a completely different world — the moody, after-hours longueur associated with singer-trumpeter Chet Baker's ballads.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 27, 2012
I am happy to say, "la longueur de la dissertation" of Mr. D. prevents Mr. G. from saying any more on the matter.
From Byron's Poetical Works, Volume 1 by Coleridge, Ernest Hartley
This is a film packed with conversation yet light on longueurs, for the director and his cast invest the dense historical speech with an alertness befitting a besieged community.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The well-filled programs, though lengthy, suffered from no longueurs, so choosing highlights is difficult.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
When the movie premiered at the Venice and Telluride film festivals this fall, it drew the full gamut of reactions, some of which sniped at its longueurs, its indulgences and its three-hour-plus running time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
The longueurs didn’t disappear, but there was joy even in being bored.
From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2021
To keep themselves warm during the inevitable longueurs, visitors sing songs of peace and harmony in several languages.
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.
