Synonyms of protracted

protracted 1 of 2

adjective

as in prolonged

Related Words

• prolonged
• interminable
• longish
• overlong
• persistent
• endless
• permanent
• lengthy
• everlasting
• long
• long-drawn-out
• long-term
• extended
• marathon
• aeonian
• long-lived
• far
• all-day
• multiyear
• multiday
• all-night
• great

Dissimilar Words

• brief
• short
• little
• short-term
• sudden
• mini
• abrupt
• abbreviated
• curtailed
• short-lived
• transient
• condensed
• momentary
• transitory
• fleeting
• ephemeral
• shortish
• shortened
• short-range
• impermanent

protracted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of protract

as in lengthened

to make longer

the highway project was protracted by years of litigation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lengthened
• prolonged
• extended
• stretched
• increased
• elongated
• dragged (out)
• outstretched
• expanded
• drew out
• enlarged
• amplified
• attenuated
• thinned

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• shortened
• cut
• curtailed
• reduced
• decreased
• diminished
• abbreviated
• cut back
• lessened
• abridged
• thickened

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of protracted

Adjective

Potential outcomes include a lengthy standoff over raising the debt ceiling, more whipsawing executive actions and potential volatility if there's a protracted wait for election results. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026

Sources at Arsenal and Newcastle suggest that the protracted pursuit of Guimaraes is now entering its end game. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2026

Less of a reboot than a shameless do-over, Marc Webb‘s first Spider-Man film tells a more protracted origin story, with half the fun and twice the self-importance (the film earns a rare dead-dad hat trick). — Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Aug. 2026

The Iranian regime wants to drag the United States into a protracted war. — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 29 July 2026

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Saber-rattling between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association over the league’s push for a salary cap could lead to a protracted lockout. — Maury Brown, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

An aide can be assigned to watch a particularly challenging resident one-on-one, but many places lack enough staff for protracted, dedicated supervision. — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026

Concern over a more protracted conflict has implications for inflation and, as a result, will fall into the in-tray of the interest rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), led by new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 July 2026

Set during the protracted period of economic decline in 1970s Ghana, two sisters, Evelyn and Maggie, make a deal to run away to the US to start a new life together. — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 1 July 2026

Verb

The split with the organization was triggered by a tense and protracted confrontation with the chair of its board of directors, Sophie Chandauka. — Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 16 Aug. 2026

When hostilities intensify and become protracted, hatred, resentment, and the desire for revenge make war self-sustaining. — Matt Waldman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026

That Premier League transfer eventually came at the start of July, following protracted talks between Middlesbrough and Everton. — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026

The eviction process was protracted and followed a series of complex legal battles led by residents of the encampment, who organized as a collective to advocate for their rights. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026

That's the most expensive use of outside spending apart from Texas' contentious and protracted Senate race. — Saige Miller, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026

Their task, then, is to navigate what is likely to be an ugly, protracted battle in which the league will be in direct opposition to the players people pay to see. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 17 July 2026

Syria, Libya, and Yemen have already endured civil wars and protracted humanitarian crises. — Sarah Yerkes, Time, 10 July 2026

Tom Steyer, Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton California’s crowded and protracted gubernatorial primary is going to take a little more time to settle. — Kaylah Jackson, NBC news, 3 June 2026