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

Late-stage treatment is complex, prolonged, and expensive. —Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2026

Experts feared that Asian economies — which imported 90% of the oil traversing through the Strait of Hormuz before the war — could be devastated by a prolonged disruption to Gulf crude production. —Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026

The prospect of prolonged disruption in the strait has sent energy prices soaring despite the ceasefire. —Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026

The findings show how chemical additives can stabilize perovskite films under heat and prolonged stress. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1525, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prolonged

• belonged
• longed
• pronged
• thronged
• wronged