long-suffering

American  

[lawng-suhf-er-ing, -suhf-ring, long-] / ˈlɔŋˈsʌf ər ɪŋ, -ˈsʌf rɪŋ, ˈlɒŋ- /

adjective

1. enduring injury, trouble, or provocation long and patiently.

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noun

1. long and patient endurance of injury, trouble, or provocation.

   years of long-suffering and illness.

long-suffering British  

adjective

1. enduring pain, unhappiness, etc, without complaint

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noun

1. long and patient endurance

Usage

What does long-suffering mean? Long-suffering is most commonly used as an adjective to describe someone who patiently endures negative situations for long periods of time without complaining. It’s often used in situations in which someone has endured pain, injury, illness, hardship, tragedy, or difficulty in accomplishing something. It’s also often used to describe a person who has stood by or supported someone during a difficult time. Sometimes, it’s used in the context of situations that aren’t very serious, such as to describe the faithful and long-suffering fans of a team that always loses. It’s also often used to describe a spouse as patiently enduring the whims or aggravating behaviors of their partner, as in My long-suffering husband merely sighed when I brought home yet another stray cat. Importantly, though, long-suffering doesn’t simply indicate that someone has endured bad things for a long time—it implies that they have endured such things without complaint. Long-suffering can also be used as a noun meaning the patient endurance of negative situations without complaint. It can refer to a quality, an ability, or an instance of such endurance. In religious contexts, long-suffering is discussed as a virtue, especially one involving being patient and slow to get angry. A close synonym is forbearance. Long-suffering is sometimes spelled as one word, without a hyphen, as longsuffering. It’s perhaps most commonly spelled this way when it’s used as a noun. Example: My long-suffering family has made so many sacrifices without complaint during this long ordeal.

Other Word Forms

• long-sufferingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of long-suffering

First recorded in 1520–30

Explanation

Someone who's long-suffering puts up stoically with discomfort, trouble, or other people's bad behavior. Your patient old dog, who calmly endures the hugs and ear-tugs of little kids, is long-suffering. If someone is described as a long-suffering wife or husband, the implication is that this person has put up with a stubborn, frustrating, or cranky spouse for many years — without complaining. The long-suffering fans of a losing baseball team, on the other hand, keep on rooting enthusiastically for them despite their disappointing record. This adjective has existed in English since the 16th century.

Example Sentences

Last week, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped below 6% for the first time in 3½ years, giving a potential boost to the long-suffering housing market just before the important spring selling season.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Most of the pain will be felt by the long-suffering Iranian people.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

Meanwhile, Reese Witherspoon triumphed for playing June Carter, the talented, long-suffering wife of Johnny Cash, in “Walk the Line.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

Promising better days ahead for her long-suffering compatriots, Rodriguez has ploughed $300 million from a first US sale of Venezuelan crude into shoring up the country's ailing currency, the bolivar.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

We sighed, exchanged stoic, long-suffering looks, and pushed on.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson