prolonged

adjective

pro·​longed prə-ˈlȯŋd 

: continuing for a notably long time : extended in duration

a prolonged delay

a prolonged recession

a prolonged absence

a prolonged drought

And in today's competitive situation a prolonged strike can very easily lead to a serious loss of market share which is difficult, if not impossible, to recapture.

—David Reid

Sometimes the only answer is a prolonged time away from the sport followed by a slow, steady reconditioning program along with physiotherapy of some type …

—William J. Goldwag

prolongedly

prə-ˈlȯŋ-əd-lē 

adverb

… and Andy demonstrates … the odd talent of coughing in his sleep, coughing prolongedly without waking himself.

—John Updike

Examples of prolonged in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Any large and prolonged tariffs on China would damage all of this fragile and limited but real progress. —Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2025

At all three agencies, most who lost their jobs were staff in their probationary periods — a prolonged trial period of one to two years for new employees or those who have moved to new positions within the agency — who have fewer legal worker protections. —Pien Huang, NPR, 17 Feb. 2025

One person has died and at least 68 people have been infected in the United States since the beginning of 2024, most often after close or prolonged contact with infected animals, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. —Suzy Khimm, NBC News, 11 Feb. 2025

This combination of active weather and prolonged cold may bring a continued stretch of winter disruptions for many Americans. —Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1525, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prolonged

• belonged
• longed
• pronged
• thronged
• wronged