protracted
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of protracted
First recorded in 1590–1600; protract ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
Something protracted has been drawn out, usually in a tedious way. Protracted things are long and seem like they're never going to end. Anything protracted is lasting longer than you would like. A speech that seems to go on forever is protracted. If an employer and a union can't reach an agreement, there could be a protracted strike. Before a movie, the previews are almost always protracted — they never seem to stop. If something is long and annoying, and there's no good reason it couldn't be shorter, it's protracted.
Vocabulary lists containing protracted
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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This Week in Words: August 10–16, 2019
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And Then There Were None
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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.
Tonali and Gordon have since left, meaning Newcastle have lost three key players in less than a year following Alexander Isak's protracted move to Liverpool last summer.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
The current hiring blitz follows more than a decade of decline, after California’s court systems shed about a third of their reporters amid a protracted budget crisis in 2012.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026
The CCP also has to "resolutely wage the critical, protracted, and comprehensive battle against corruption", he added.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
The restaurant industry has been engaged in a protracted discount war, after many chains raised menu prices to cover pandemic-related costs and spooked increasingly value-conscious customers in the process.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
It’s only the first labor, which is almost always protracted.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
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.
