Synonyms of protract

protract

verb

prō-ˈtrakt 

as in to lengthen

to make longer

the highway project was protracted by years of litigation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lengthen
• extend
• prolong
• increase
• stretch
• elongate
• draw out
• drag (out)
• expand
• enlarge
• outstretch
• amplify
• attenuate
• thin

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• shorten
• curtail
• cut
• reduce
• cut back
• diminish
• decrease
• lessen
• abridge
• abbreviate
• thicken

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb protract contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of protract are extend, lengthen, and prolong. While all these words mean "to draw out or add to so as to increase in length," protract adds to prolong implications of needlessness, vexation, or indefiniteness.

protracted litigation

How are the words extend and lengthen related as synonyms of protract?

Both extend and lengthen imply a drawing out in space or time but extend may also imply increase in width, scope, area, or range.

extend a vacation

extend welfare services

lengthen a skirt

lengthen the workweek

Where would prolong be a reasonable alternative to protract?

In some situations, the words prolong and protract are roughly equivalent. However, prolong suggests chiefly increase in duration especially beyond usual limits.

prolonged illness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of protract

Zombies are what happen when a juvenile life stage is unnaturally protracted. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025

There are many reasons to distrust Netanyahu: his habitual lying; his willingness to prop up his coalition with religious zealots and racists; his brutal, protracted prosecution of the war in Gaza, a strategy that seems motivated in no small measure by a desire to cling to power. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025

Even more learners will benefit from the supports of a Multi-Year Resilience Program delivered by UNICEF and a consortium of partners with funding from Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises hosted by UNICEF. —Forbes.com, 16 July 2025

Netanyahu, who is set to meet the US president on Monday, faces a critical decision at the crossroads of two very different conflicts: one precise and short, the other brutal and protracted. —Dana Karni, CNN Money, 1 July 2025