prolonged meaning and examples

2025-08-30

Meaning

Prolonged means something that lasts for a long time or continues longer than expected or usual. It often carries a sense of being extended unnecessarily or undesirably long.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Adjective
  • Typically used before a noun (e.g., prolonged illness, prolonged silence).
  • Often implies an unpleasant or inconvenient duration.

Sentence structure patterns:

  • "prolonged + noun" (e.g., prolonged delay, prolonged exposure)

Common Phrases

  • prolonged illness – being sick for an extended time
  • prolonged exposure – being exposed to something for too long
  • prolonged silence – a silence lasting longer than comfortable
  • prolonged negotiations – discussions that take much longer than expected

Collocations

  • prolonged absence
  • prolonged stress
  • prolonged drought
  • prolonged applause
  • prolonged war

Examples

  1. She suffered from a prolonged illness that kept her in bed for months.
  2. The region experienced a prolonged drought, leading to water shortages.
  3. After a prolonged silence, he finally answered the question.
  4. The meeting ended after prolonged negotiations between both sides.
  5. Prolonged exposure to the sun can damage your skin.
  6. His prolonged absence from school worried his teachers.
  7. The company went through a prolonged period of decline before recovering.
  8. The film was criticized for its prolonged scenes that slowed down the story.
  • extended
  • lengthy
  • drawn-out
  • prolongedly (adverb form, rare)
  • sustained