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

What began as a flurry of rumors about his next destination has now congealed into a protracted waiting game, one that has NBA teams, fans and even the league office looking at their proverbial watches. — Joe Vardon, New York Times, 23 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

The announcement stands in stark contrast with the situation across the Bay, where talks between the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland and hundreds of other abuse victims remain mired in a protracted and increasingly bitter stalemate. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 29 June 2026

Former health minister Wes Streeting, viewed as a potential challenger, has instead backed Burnham's bid, easing some concern about a protracted and divisive leadership battle. — Gail Krishnan, CNBC, 23 June 2026

The shootings have highlighted a protracted debate over Missouri’s gun laws, among the loosest in the nation, and local leaders’ yearslong struggle to combat homicides and fatal shootings. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026

Verb

Consequently, what used to be a more straightforward process of signing youth can prove protracted. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 23 July 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

The utilities, by offering to settle in return for an acknowledgment of Gillett’s decision-making, are agreeing to the dismissal – without costs to any party – of what was shaping up as protracted, costly and ultimately losing litigation for the state. — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2026

Russia’s war with Ukraine showed that wars could be protracted and require deep inventories of advanced weapons, Cancian said. — ABC News, 27 May 2026

And nobody has ever designed a reactor for the moon, a hostile volcanic desert subject to extreme temperature swings, frequent asteroid strikes and protracted quakes. — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 19 May 2026

After some protracted legal drama, Subnautica 2 is finally about to launch. — Jay Peters, The Verge, 30 Apr. 2026