decades-long

adjective

de·​cades-long ˈde-ˌkādz-ˌlȯŋ 

variants or less commonly decadeslong

: lasting two or more decades : occurring over a period of two or more decades

a decades-long career

… 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

The Marcus Foundation’s dedication to medical research The USC gift fits a decades-long pattern of giving for the Marcus Foundation. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026

Selective support for storage, refining, pipelines, and ports can reduce vulnerabilities and provide a more stable foundation for the decades-long transition to cleaner energy. — Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026

Most Deep Purple fans had long since given up any hope of seeing the band ever share a stage with founding guitarist Ritchie Blackmore again, due to a well-know, decades-long estrangement. — Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026

Once a quiet Mediterranean fishing village, Saint-Tropez exploded into a global hot spot in the 1950s, sparking a massive, decades-long surge in tourism, the National Geographic reported. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for decades-long

• agung
• along
• belong
• birdsong
• furlong
• headlong
• headstrong
• lifelong
• plainsong
• prolong
• sarong
• tanjong