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

The hiatus also followed a prolonged absence from her NBC talk show earlier in the year. —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025

Severe or prolonged distress when separated from a parent. —Melissa Willets, Parents, 28 Oct. 2025

The charts suggest that gold and gold miners are due for a more prolonged period of consolidation to reset their bullish long-term trends. —Katie Stockton, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025

These early casualties highlight the risks posed by prolonged rainfall and unstable terrain, even before a storm reaches peak intensity. —Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1525, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prolonged

• belonged
• longed
• pronged
• thronged
• wronged