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

After a prolonged period of sluggish performance in the luxury sector, investors will need to be patient a little longer. — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 15 July 2026

Kuwait, Iraq and Qatar retain heavy exposure to the waterway, while alternative pipelines cannot absorb all the crude and liquefied natural gas that would be stranded in a prolonged closure. — Lee Ying Shan,sam Meredith, CNBC, 14 July 2026

But hydrogels degrade rather quickly and lose those benefits with prolonged use. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026

However, any additional precipitation will not offset the long-term factors driving water shortages like prolonged drought conditions and historically low seasonal snowpack, according to experts. — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 13 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1525, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prolonged

• belonged
• longed
• pronged
• thronged
• wronged