protracted
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- protractedly adverb
- protractedness noun
Etymology
Origin of protracted
First recorded in 1590–1600; protract ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
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.
A protracted Iran conflict and continued high oil prices could mean the sun setting soon on gold’s rally, according to a strategist at UBS.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
Arab mediators are pushing for a meeting between the U.S. and Iran as soon as this week, and President Trump has told associates in recent days that he wants to avoid a protracted war.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
And if the war is protracted, the greater the risk of not just the damage to individual countries, but of contagion and global spillovers.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
Two of those three years are essentially in the past because of the protracted negotiations.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
All her classmates are complaining about it—Bronte’s protracted digressions about human nature, the subplots about Jane’s friends at Lowood School, the long-winded, “unrealistic” dialogue.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
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.
