livelong

adjective

live·​long ˈliv-ˌlȯŋ 

: whole, entire

the livelong day

Did you know?

"I've been workin' on the railroad, all the livelong day." So goes the American folk standard, and nowadays when we encounter the word livelong, it is typically in the phrase "all the livelong day" or something similar. Although we don't see livelong much in prose anymore, poets still love the word, possibly for its two distinct, alliterative syllables. Despite the resemblance, livelong does not mean the same thing as lifelong (as in "a lifelong friend"). In fact, the words are not closely related: the live in livelong derives from lef, a Middle English word meaning "dear or beloved."

Examples of livelong in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Who knows what their bosses thought, and the GOP will complain all the livelong day. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024

In fact, all that high-minded thinking sounds more like how some bloodless and very smart computer might happily spend the livelong day. —Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 4 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lef long, from lef dear + long — more at lief

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing livelong

• (all) the livelong day

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

livelong

adjective

live·​long ˌliv-ˌlȯŋ 

: during the whole of : entire

worked all the livelong day