long-winded

adjective

long-wind·​ed ˌlȯŋ-ˈwin-dəd How to pronounce long-winded (audio)
ˈlȯŋ-ˌwin-
1
: tediously long in speaking or writing
2
: not easily subject to loss of breath
long-windedly adverb
long-windedness noun

Examples of long-winded in a Sentence

his long-winded explanation could have been boiled down to two sentences
Recent Examples on the Web O’Neal took to Instagram early Friday (May 10) to serve up a scintillating and long-winded response on his Instagram featuring a photo that had Sharpe ranked at the No. 51 best player of all time. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019 One woman has a Hollywood-style trick for keeping her husband's stories from getting too long-winded. Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024 This adjective can be used to describe someone who is long-winded with their speech 2. CNN, 25 Jan. 2024 By his usual taciturn standards, that almost qualifies as being long-winded. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'long-winded.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of long-winded was in 1578

Dictionary Entries Near long-winded

Cite this Entry

“Long-winded.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long-winded. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

long-winded

adjective
long-wind·​ed
ˈlȯŋ-ˈwin-dəd
: boringly long in speaking or writing
long-windedly adverb
long-windedness noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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