prolonged

American  

[pruh-lawngd, -longd] / prəˈlɔŋd, -ˈlɒŋd /

adjective

1. lasting a long time; lengthy.

   Regular or prolonged absence from school without a valid reason may result in the absentee being barred from examinations.

2. lengthened or extended in time or space.

   Technological innovations in the ICU have led to artificially prolonged life, with associated costs.

   Abnormally shortened or prolonged telomeres are a hallmark of cancer.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of prolong.

Other Word Forms

• unprolonged adjective
• well-prolonged adjective

Etymology

Origin of prolonged

prolong ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Brands and bottle manufacturers warn that a prolonged war will risk making a crucial commodity prohibitively expensive for many Indians.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

They are skeptical of the resiliency of travel demand given the likelihood of a prolonged period of higher energy prices and decelerating credit card data, the analyst wrote.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

“We continue to see the club channel gaining traction — potentially more amid any prolonged gas price shocks — and this latest development points to clear pricing power within the annual membership fee,” Bellinger wrote.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

While a prolonged stretch of pricey gas could renew interest in EVs, it also could further slow overall sales of all vehicles if cash-crunched consumers respond by putting off new purchases.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

In each case, the battle was prolonged and silent.

From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord