lengthy
/'leɳθi/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extending for a considerable time; long in duration: Describes something that lasts for a long time, often longer than usual or expected.
- Tediously long; excessively verbose: Describes something, especially speech or writing, that is long and often boring or tiresome due to its excessive detail or lack of conciseness.
Usage and Examples
Describing duration:
- The meeting was quite lengthy, lasting over four hours.
- She prepared a lengthy report for the committee.
Describing tedious verbosity:
- The lawyer's lengthy cross-examination tried the jury's patience.
- He apologized for his lengthy email, explaining that the topic was complex.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- "Lengthy" vs. "Long": While both indicate extended duration, "lengthy" often carries a negative connotation of being excessively or tediously long. "A long book" is neutral; "a lengthy book" suggests it may be overly long or difficult to get through.
- Common Collocations: Often used with words like .
- The lengthy negotiations finally resulted in a peace treaty.
Variants and Related Words
- Length (n): The measurement of something from end to end; the amount of time something lasts.
- The length of the film is three hours.
- Lengthily (adv): In a lengthy manner.
- He spoke lengthily about the company's history.
- Lengthiness (n): The quality of being lengthy.
- The main criticism of the document was its lengthiness.
Synonyms
- Prolonged: Continuing for a long time or longer than expected.
- Extended: Made longer; lasting longer.
- Protracted: Lasting for a long time, especially longer than is usual or necessary.
- Long-drawn-out: Excessively lengthy.
Antonyms
- Brief: Short in time or duration.
- Concise: Giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words.
- Short: Lasting or taking a small amount of time.
- Succinct: Briefly and clearly expressed.
Idioms and Phrases
- A lengthy piece of work: A task or creative work that requires a long time to complete.
- Writing his doctoral thesis was a lengthy piece of work.
- To go into lengthy details: To explain something with excessive and often unnecessary detail.
- He went into lengthy details about the engine's malfunction.
Adjective
-
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
-
a drawn-out argument
-
an extended discussion
-
a lengthy visit from her mother-in-law
-
a prolonged and bitter struggle
-
protracted negotiations
-
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