prolonged
Americanadjective
-
lasting a long time; lengthy.
Regular or prolonged absence from school without a valid reason may result in the absentee being barred from examinations.
-
lengthened or extended in time or space.
Technological innovations in the ICU have led to artificially prolonged life, with associated costs.
Abnormally shortened or prolonged telomeres are a hallmark of cancer.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prolonged
Explanation
Something prolonged is long and drawn-out — it's taking longer than it should. A prolonged wait is usually annoying. If a fan throws a drink on the court during a basketball game and it takes an hour to clean it up, and then another hour to re-wax the floor, and then another hour for the players to warm up again...that's a prolonged delay. Anything prolonged has been stretched out further than it should be. America's war with Vietnam was prolonged much longer than anyone expected. If something is tedious, time-consuming, and feels like it's taking forever, it's prolonged.
Vocabulary lists containing prolonged
The Call of the Wild
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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Britain's Finest Hour Speech - Winston Churchill (1940)
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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.
Bordeaux-Begles scored five first-half tries as they retained the Champions Cup with an emphatic victory over Leinster in the final in Bilbao and prolonged the Irish team's agony in European rugby's showpiece game.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
The pandemic, followed by the 2023 entertainment-industry strikes and the 2025 fires led to a prolonged loss of business.
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026
That slower response can increase the risk of prolonged recovery after surgery, delayed closure of wounds, and complications in people with chronic skin injuries.
From Science Daily • May 20, 2026
“A faster-than-expected resolution could restore confidence, while a prolonged disruption could deepen the downgrade,” the UN said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
“The detective said she’ll be tested today. At the lockdown hospital. A prolonged psychiatric evaluation. If they declare her sane, she goes to juvenile detention. According to the detective, she’ll likely cop a plea.”
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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.
