long ago

comparative longer ago · superlative longest ago

1. At a time in the past, especially the distant past.

   There was a Roman fort here long ago.

   4 more examples

   How long ago did she die? It's not that long ago that she did.

   Long ago, in a far country, there lived a queen who had three princes.

   That concertina was a wonder in its way. The handles that was on it first was wore out long ago, and he'd made new ones of braided rope yarn. And the bellows was patched in more places than a cranberry picker's overalls.

   1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC

   Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus. That’s because the lenses that are excellent at magnifying tiny subjects produce a narrow depth of field. A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that.

   2013 July-August, Catherine Clabby, “Focus on Everything”, in American Scientist, archived from the original on 11 May 2017

   Synonyms: long since, a long time ago, anciently, backcast, lang syne, long long ago, of old, of yore

alternative long-ago

1. not comparableExisting in the relatively distant past.

   The answer, according to James Moore, who as minister of Canadian heritage is in charge of the campaign, is that the government simply wants the long-ago war, which few Canadians know well, to be remembered.

   2012 October 7, Ian Austen, “Canada Puts Spotlight on War of 1812, With U.S. as Villain”, in New York Times

   1 more example

   Back in the long ago days of the 2000 season, the New England Patriots were a 5-11 mess of a team that finished in the cellar of the AFC East. It was an inauspicious start to the tenure of head coach Bill Belichick.

   2019 July 18, “B/R NFL Expert Picks for 2019 Division Winners”, in Bleacher Report

   Synonyms: ancient, bygone