Meanings
- participlepastsimple past and past participle of protract
comparative more protracted · superlative most protracted
- Lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual.
a protracted and bitter dispute
2 more examples
... inheritance of protracted misery ...
1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, chapter 5, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLCThe gleefully sadistic killer pushes Jaime into a fight, telling him that he slept with Cersei, and after a protracted struggle, even sinks his blade into Jaime’s side. But it turns out that a metal hand can be valuable in battle, after all, and Jaime uses it to help sink his own sword into Euron’s stomach
2019 May 12, Alex McLevy, “Westeros faces a disastrous final battle on the penultimate Game of Thrones (newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 15 May 2019Synonyms: long-drawn-out, abiding, chronic, continuate, diuturnal, durable, standing, durative
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveLasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiverelatively long in duration; tediously protracted
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Arabic طَوِيل
- طَوِيل (ṭawīl)lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Bulgarian продължителен, проточен
- продължителен (prodălžitelen)lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- проточен (protočen)lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Czech zdlouhavý
- zdlouhavýlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Dutch langdurig, aanslepend
- langduriglasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- aanslependlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
German langwierig, langdauernd
- langwieriglasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- langdauerndlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- langandauerndlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- anhaltendlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- sich hinziehendlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- langwährendlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- langgezogenlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- hingezogenlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- verschlepptlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Hungarian elhúzódó, hosszúra nyúló
- elhúzódólasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- hosszúra nyúlólasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Latin prōductus
- prōductuslasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Māori auroa, hōtoa
- auroalasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- hōtoalasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Polish przeciągły
- przeciągłylasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Romanian prelungit
- prelungitlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Russian затяжно́й
- затяжно́й (zatjažnój)lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Spanish protraído
- protraídolasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Swedish utdragen, långdragen
- utdragenlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- långdragenlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Tagalog matagalan, malawig
- matagalanlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
- malawiglasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual
Cite this entry
protracted. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protracted
“protracted.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protracted. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “protracted,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protracted.
Source: protracted on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.