1
: having a long life : living a long time
long-lived siblings
a long-lived perennial
also : characterized by long life
a long-lived family
2
: lasting a long time : enduring
a long-lived fad
also : existing, functioning, or active for a period of time that is longer than usual or expected
a long-lived car
long-lived nuclear waste

Examples of long-lived in a Sentence

that sequoia tree is especially long-lived, having reached an age generally estimated to be at least 3,000 years much to the relief of his parents, the youth's interest in the piano proved to be long-lived
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.
Seychelles giant tortoises average a 150-year life span, and related species can be similarly long-lived. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024 There are dragons and trolls in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, along with important swords and a race of long-lived elflike people called the Sithi, but Williams subverts the usual tropes. Sarah Jones, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024 If successful, this process could deal with the americium that is the most dangerous and long-lived component of spent reactor fuel. IEEE Spectrum, 25 Nov. 2024 The Dead, in particular, would go on to have a fiercely devoted and long-lived fandom, even as the band didn’t enjoy the radio success of the Airplane or Big Brother until 1987’s surprise hit Touch of Grey. Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 Oct. 2024 The growth here in America seems to be more long-lived, as sales for the three-month period to the end of September 2024 set a new record in EV deliveries, adds Kelley Blue Book. Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 15 Oct. 2024 The compound engine, as long-lived as a human heart, labouring in huge, tender, pumping motions—steel gymnastics—the aromas rising as if from a kitchen. Tomas Tranströmer, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 The final shot of the season settles just above the very recognizable ears and wispy white hairs of Yoda, long-lived enough to have seen the Republic at its height before its fall. Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 17 July 2024 That confinement also sustains the GRS, making the storm extremely long-lived, but its actual age has been an ongoing astronomical enigma. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 12 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of long-lived was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near long-lived

Cite this Entry

“Long-lived.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long-lived. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

long-lived

adjective
ˈlȯŋ-ˈlīvd,
-ˈlivd
: living or lasting long

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