Meanings
comparative lengthier · superlative lengthiest
- Having length; long and overextended, especially in time rather than dimension.
a lengthy text
5 more examples
a lengthy discussion
a laborious and lengthy process
She died last night after a lengthy illness.
They received lengthy prison terms.
They traced the ancient lineages of two species to reveal the insects' lengthy history of asexual reproduction.
2011 July 19, Ella Davies, “Sticks insects survive one million years without sex”, in BBC, archived from the original on 22 Apr 2017 - Speaking or writing at length; long-winded.
If, in addition to being a lengthy preacher, he had also been a Rev. Mr. Mumbles or a Rev. Dr. Drone, the penance thus endured by his people would have been intolerably severe.
1863, John Cumming, Driftwood, seaweed and fallen leaves, volume 1, page 92
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiverelatively long in duration; tediously protracted
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian проточен, твърде дълъг
- проточен (protočen)long of time
- твърде дълъг (tvărde dălăg)long in physical distance
- многословен (mnogosloven)long-winded
Czech zdlouhavý
- zdlouhavýlong of time
Esperanto longaĉa
- longaĉalong of time
French long, longuet
- longlong of time
- longuetlong of time
German lang, ausgedehnt
- langlong of time
- ausgedehntlong of time
- langdauerndlong of time
- langwieriglong of time
- ellenlanglong of time
- langanhaltendlong of time
Hungarian hosszadalmas
- hosszadalmaslong of time
Italian lungo, esteso
- lungolong of time
- estesolong of time
- lentolong of time
Māori taumano, tautini
- taumanolong of time
- tautinilong of time
- tūroalong of time
- roalong in physical distance
- whāroalong in physical distance
Portuguese extensível, extenso
- extensívellong of time
- extensolong of time
Russian дли́тельный, многосло́вный
- дли́тельный (dlítelʹnyj)long of time
- многосло́вный (mnogoslóvnyj)long-winded
- многоречи́вый (mnogorečívyj)long-winded
- простра́нный (prostránnyj)long-winded
Swedish lång, långvarig
- långlong of time
- långvariglong of time
- utdragenlong of time
Turkish upuzun
- upuzunlong in physical distance
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
lengthy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lengthy
“lengthy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lengthy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lengthy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lengthy.
Source: lengthy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.