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

Norman added that rising oil prices could lead to prolonged inflation and potentially higher interest rates as central banks struggle to contain the fallout from a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical maritime corridor for oil and gas. —Joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026

Japan still gets about 95% of its crude imports from the Middle East, helping explain why its stock markets reacted so sharply to the risk of a prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. —Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 11 Mar. 2026

Some countries have relatively little back-up capacity for prolonged outages, Brandeis’s Habibi said. —Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026

But bringing Tinker Bell to live action as a central figure has been a prolonged and winding journey. —Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1525, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prolonged

• belonged
• longed
• pronged
• thronged
• wronged