decades-long

adjective

de·​cades-long ˈde-ˌkādz-ˌlȯŋ How to pronounce decades-long (audio)
variants or less commonly decadeslong
: lasting two or more decades : occurring over a period of two or more decades
… no discussion of wolf research would be complete without mention of this fascinating, decades-long study.Robert R. Ream
His decades-long accumulation of books makes an eclectic mix …Stephen Mihm

Examples of decades-long in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jane Fonda After a decades-long career in the business starting with her first feature film role in 1960's Tall Story, Fonda decided to retire from acting in 1991 after marrying Ted Turner. Diana Pearl, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2023 And in Asia, the decades-long funding of healthcare robots for older adults has intensified. Erico Guizzo, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Mar. 2023 Their source, instead, is a decades-long battle between Black labor and white ownership. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2023 Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have a decades-long chokehold on a market that is arguably oversaturated already. WIRED, 20 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for decades-long 

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of decades-long was in 1930

Dictionary Entries Near decades-long

Cite this Entry

“Decades-long.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decades-long. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!