sustained
Americanadjective
-
kept in process or continued over time; continuous.
National budgets need to reflect a sustained commitment to children's positive development, strong families, and caring communities.
-
(of an injury, cost, etc.) borne, experienced, or suffered.
Homeowner’s insurance is not available to cover sustained losses from a radiological accident.
-
upheld or confirmed as valid.
Nothing smacks more of courtroom defeat than ending a cross-examination on a sustained objection.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sustained
Explanation
Something that's sustained is held or maintained for a long time, keeping its strength or level consistent and unbroken. A singer's sustained note goes on and on, and a judge's sustained ruling continues to be upheld. The adjective sustained, which describes something that goes on uninterrupted for a long time, comes from the Latin word sustinere, "to hold up, support, or endure." Something sustained can be either good or bad: a sustained conflict is never good, but a sustained peace is something to be fought for.
Vocabulary lists containing sustained
President Biden's Inaugural Speech (January 2021)
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The Martian
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This Week In Words: August 22–28, 2020
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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.
McDonnell said Flores’ complaint triggered an investigation into 18 other officers, all but one of whom faced sustained disciplinary complaints.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
The life Mr. Meyer reconstructs reads as a sustained revolt against the power of categories to diminish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Turkish clubs have also found sustained European success difficult to achieve.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The stock could see sustained gains if Elon Musk's predictions on memory prices come true.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
A whistle blows, a long sustained warning followed by the hissing and sputtering of the engine.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
