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.
While conventional nuclear plants split heavy atoms in a process called fission, fusion does the opposite: It combines light atomic nuclei into heavier ones, releasing enormous energy without greenhouse-gas emissions or long-lived radioactive waste.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
The work, published in Nature in 2023, suggested that at least some longevity traits that evolved in long-lived animals may be adaptable beyond the species that developed them.
From Science Daily ● May 10, 2026
If it works, it could provide potentially limitless electricity without greenhouse gases or long-lived radioactive waste.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
These animals were part of the multituberculates, a long-lived group that first appeared during the Jurassic Period and persisted for more than 100 million years before eventually going extinct.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 27, 2026
The long-lived information is not the characteristically human information.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
