long-winded
adjective
long-wind·ed
ˌlȯŋ-ˈwin-dəd 
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
Industry events are often staid affairs, full of long-winded speeches and by-the-numbers performances.
—
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Most of his Hailey songs can be sorted into long-winded apologies or lusty worship tracks, but this one is almost more of a mission statement.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Perhaps an ode to the cerulean sweater that prompted Priestly's long-winded rant in the original film?
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
An irritating habit of his is to stop by and launch into long-winded stories about some mundane event in his present or past life or to pontificate about a current event.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Part of the problem with policymaking at the level of the federal government is that the impacts are often too large, too long-winded, too abstract to really be able to nearly encompass their full breadth, particularly for busy people who have their own immediate concerns to worry about.
—New York Daily News, Twin Cities, 19 Aug. 2025
That belief leads to a lot of money wasted on plain-vanilla surveys, irritating dinnertime interrupting spam calls, and ends with long-winded market research reports replete with cross-tabulations and PowerPoint presentations.
—Chip Bell, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Which is a long-winded way of saying the industry got out over its skis.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 8 Aug. 2025
All of this is a vaguely long-winded way of making a simple point — the outlook for Wolves’ defence has changed dramatically over the course of this season.
—Steve Madeley, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
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.
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Most of his Hailey songs can be sorted into long-winded apologies or lusty worship tracks, but this one is almost more of a mission statement.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Perhaps an ode to the cerulean sweater that prompted Priestly's long-winded rant in the original film?
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
An irritating habit of his is to stop by and launch into long-winded stories about some mundane event in his present or past life or to pontificate about a current event.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Part of the problem with policymaking at the level of the federal government is that the impacts are often too large, too long-winded, too abstract to really be able to nearly encompass their full breadth, particularly for busy people who have their own immediate concerns to worry about.
—New York Daily News, Twin Cities, 19 Aug. 2025
That belief leads to a lot of money wasted on plain-vanilla surveys, irritating dinnertime interrupting spam calls, and ends with long-winded market research reports replete with cross-tabulations and PowerPoint presentations.
—Chip Bell, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Which is a long-winded way of saying the industry got out over its skis.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 8 Aug. 2025
All of this is a vaguely long-winded way of making a simple point — the outlook for Wolves’ defence has changed dramatically over the course of this season.
—Steve Madeley, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Long-winded.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long-winded. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share