Long — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb noun verb abbreviation /ˈlȯŋ/

Meaning & Definition of Long

Long (adjective)

  1. extending for a considerable distance
  2. having greater length than usual
  3. having greater height than usual, tall

Long (adverb)

  1. for or during a long time
  2. at or to a long distance, far
  3. for the duration of a specified period

Long (noun)

  1. a long period of time
  2. a long syllable
  3. one taking a long position especially in a security or commodity market

Long (verb)

  1. to feel a strong desire or craving especially for something not likely to be attained
  2. to be suitable or fitting

Long (abbreviation)

  1. longitude

Long (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. of great extent from end to end

    "giraffes have long necks to help them reach leaves on tall trees"

    similar: elongate, extended, king-size, lengthy
    related: extensive, far-reaching, longish, outstretched, oblong, rectangular, big, biggish, considerable, hefty, hulking, jumbo, large, largish, overscale, oversize, sizable, substantial, super
    opposite: brief, curt, short, shortish
    near: abbreviated, abridged, curtailed, diminished, shortened, bitty, diminutive, little, miniature, minute, puny, small, smallish, teeny, tiny, undersized, wee

  2. lasting for a considerable time

    "if it's boring, even a movie with a running time of 90 minutes can seem long"

    similar: extended, far, great, lengthy, long-drawn-out, long-lived, long-term, marathon
    related: aeonian, endless, everlasting, interminable, persistent, longish, overlong, prolonged, protracted, permanent, all-day, all-night, multiday, multiyear
    opposite: brief, little, mini, short, shortish, short-lived, short-term
    near: abrupt, sudden, abbreviated, condensed, curtailed, shortened, ephemeral, fleeting, momentary, transient, transitory, impermanent, short-range

Long (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in perennially, enduringly

    similar: enduringly, perennially, always, aye, e'er, eternally, ever, everlastingly, evermore, forever, forevermore, indelibly, permanently, perpetually
    opposite: ne'er, never, nevermore, once

Long (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a long or seemingly long period of time

    "they should be here before long"

    similar: age, blue moon, coon's age, cycle, donkey's years (chiefly British), eon, eternity, forever, months, moon
    related: infinity, lifetime
    near: flash, instant, jiffy, minute, moment, second, shake, split second, trice, twinkle, twinkling, wink, microsecond, nanosecond

Long (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in yearn, pine

    similar: pine, yearn, agonize, chafe, bother, fear, fret, fuss, stew, stress, sweat, trouble, worry, despair
    opposite: accept, abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate

Related Entry: Long (for) (verb)

Long (for) is a different word from Long. The synonyms below are for long (for), not for long.

  1. to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy

    "I long for the day when cancer is but a distant and unpleasant memory"

    similar: ache (for), covet, crave, desiderate, desire, die (for), hanker (for or after), hunger (for), itch (for), jones (for) (slang), lust (for or after), pant (after), pine (for), repine (for), salivate (for), sigh (for), thirst (for), want, wish (for), yearn (for), yen (for), set one's heart on
    related: spoil (for), adore, delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, groove (on), like, love, relish, revel (in), favor, prefer, admire, appreciate, cherish, prize, treasure, value
    near: abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, hate, loathe, decline, refuse, reject, spurn

Related Entry: Long-drawn-out (adjective)

Long-drawn-out is a different word from Long. The synonyms below are for long-drawn-out, not for long.

  1. lasting for a considerable time

    "a long-drawn-out acceptance speech by an overemotional actor"

    similar: extended, far, great, lengthy, long, long-lived, long-term, marathon
    related: aeonian, endless, everlasting, interminable, persistent, longish, overlong, prolonged, protracted, permanent, all-day, all-night, multiday, multiyear
    opposite: brief, little, mini, short, shortish, short-lived, short-term
    near: abrupt, sudden, abbreviated, condensed, curtailed, shortened, ephemeral, fleeting, momentary, transient, transitory, impermanent, short-range

Related Entry: Long green (noun)

Long green is a different word from Long. The synonyms below are for long green, not for long.

  1. something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment

    "where did he get the long green to afford wheels like that?"

    similar: bread (slang), bucks, cabbage (slang), cash, change, chips, coin, currency, dough, gold, green, jack (slang), kale (slang), legal tender, lolly (British), loot, lucre, money, moola (slang), needful, pelf, scratch (slang), shekels, tender, wampum
    related: coinage, specie, dead presidents (slang), folding money, paper money, scrip, banknote, cashier's check, check, draft, money order, note, promissory note, bill, dollar, greenback, bankroll, capital, finances, funds, roll (slang), wad, wallet, chump change, dibs (slang), dime, mite, peanuts, pittance, shoestring, big bucks, bomb (British), boodle, bundle, earth, fortune, king's ransom, megabucks, mint, packet (chiefly British), pile, pot, abundance, means, opulence, riches, treasure, wealth, resources, wherewithal, mad money, petty cash, pin money, pocket money, spending money

Related Entry: Long-haired (adjective)

Long-haired is a different word from Long. The synonyms below are for long-haired, not for long.

  1. much given to learning and thinking

    "one of those long-haired idealists who founded short-lived utopias in rural America"

    similar: blue, cerebral, eggheaded, geeky, highbrow, highbrowed, intellectual, intellectualist, intellectualistic, nerdish, nerdy
    related: cultivated, cultured, erudite, learned, literate, polyhistoric, polymath, scholarly, well-read, academic, bookish, professorial, didactic, high-toned, hyperintellectual, pedantic, high-hat, snobbish, snobby, snooty, educated, schooled, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, quick-witted, smart
    opposite: anti-intellectual, lowbrow, nonintellectual, philistine
    near: uncultivated, uncultured, ignorant, illiterate, uneducated, unlettered, unread, dumb, foolish, idiotic, moronic, slow, stupid, unintelligent, benighted, unenlightened

Related Entry: Long haul (noun)

Long haul is a different word from Long. The synonyms below are for long haul, not for long.

  1. a long distance

    "growing up in suburban New England, I used to think the 10 miles between our house and the mall was a long haul"

    similar: afar, country mile, far cry, mile
    related: infinity, light-year
    opposite: hair, inch, step, stone's throw

Related Entry: Long-lived (adjective)

Long-lived is a different word from Long. The synonyms below are for long-lived, not for long.

  1. being of advanced years and especially past middle age

    "that sequoia tree is especially long-lived, having reached an age generally estimated to be at least 3,000 years"

    similar: aged, aging, ancient, elderly, geriatric, old, older, over-the-hill, senescent, senior, unyoung, long in the tooth, of a certain age
    related: centenarian, nonagenarian, octogenarian, septuagenarian, sexagenarian, oldish, adult, grown-up, mature, middle-aged, pensioned, retired, superannuated, matriarchal, patriarchal, venerable, anile, decrepit, doddering, senile, spavined, tottery, overage
    opposite: young, youthful
    near: ageless, youngish, adolescent, immature, juvenile, preteen, puerile, minor, underage, callow, green, inexperienced, raw, babyish, childish, childlike, infantile, infantine, kiddish

  2. lasting for a considerable time

    "much to the relief of his parents, the youth's interest in the piano proved to be long-lived"

    similar: extended, far, great, lengthy, long, long-drawn-out, long-term, marathon
    related: aeonian, endless, everlasting, interminable, persistent, longish, overlong, prolonged, protracted, permanent, all-day, all-night, multiday, multiyear
    opposite: brief, little, mini, short, shortish, short-lived, short-term
    near: abrupt, sudden, abbreviated, condensed, curtailed, shortened, ephemeral, fleeting, momentary, transient, transitory, impermanent, short-range

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Long

The most common words with a similar meaning to Long:

Chiefly British: donkey's years
elongate, extended, king-size, lengthy, far, great, long-drawn-out, long-lived, long-term, marathon, enduringly, perennially, always, aye, e'er, eternally, ever, everlastingly, evermore, forever, forevermore, indelibly, permanently, perpetually, age, blue moon, coon's age, cycle, eon, eternity, months, moon, pine, yearn, agonize, chafe, bother, fear, fret, fuss

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Long

Words with the opposite meaning of Long:

brief, curt, short, shortish, little, mini, short-lived, short-term, ne'er, never, nevermore, once, accept, abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate

Related Words for Long

extensive, far-reaching, longish, outstretched, oblong, rectangular, big, biggish, considerable, hefty, hulking, jumbo, large, largish, overscale, oversize, sizable, substantial, super, aeonian, endless, everlasting, interminable, persistent, overlong, prolonged, protracted, permanent, all-day, all-night

Near Antonyms of Long

abbreviated, abridged, curtailed, diminished, shortened, bitty, diminutive, miniature, minute, puny, small, smallish, teeny, tiny, undersized, wee, abrupt, sudden, condensed, ephemeral, fleeting, momentary, transient, transitory, impermanent, short-range, flash, instant, jiffy, moment

Word Forms of Long

Inflections: longer, longest, longed, longing, longs

Derived words: longness (noun), longer (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Long

Middle English long, lang, from Old English; akin to Old High German lang long, Latin longus

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Long

Frequently Asked Questions about Long

What does "Long" mean?

"Long" means extending for a considerable distance. As an an adjective, an adverb, a noun, a verb and an abbreviation, it is defined as: extending for a considerable distance. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Long"?

Other words for "Long" include elongate, extended, king-size, lengthy, far, great, long-drawn-out and long-lived. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Long" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Long"?

There are 81 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Long". Common alternatives include elongate, extended, king-size, lengthy, far, great, long-drawn-out, long-lived, long-term and marathon.

What is the opposite of "Long"?

Antonyms of "Long" include brief, curt, short, shortish, little, mini, short-lived and short-term. Near antonyms include abbreviated, abridged, curtailed and diminished.

How do you use "Long" in a sentence?

Examples of "Long" in a sentence: "giraffes have long necks to help them reach leaves on tall trees"; "if it's boring, even a movie with a running time of 90 minutes can seem long"; "they should be here before long".

Is "Long" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Long" can be used as an adjective, an adverb, a noun, a verb and an abbreviation, depending on the context.

Is "Long" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Long" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Long"?

"Long" is pronounced /ˈlȯŋ/.