protracted 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of protractednext
as in prolonged

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

protracted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of protract
as in lengthened
to make longer the highway project was protracted by years of litigation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for protracted
  1. prolonged
  2. interminable
  3. extended
  4. longish
  5. overlong
  6. increased
  7. persistent
Adjective
  • Plants and their parts are useful crime evidence because plant cell walls, spores, and pollens are distinctive enough to be recognizable and are composed of strong compounds that are resistant to destruction over prolonged periods of time.
    GrrlScientist, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
  • Despite the trees' resilience and speedy recovery, researchers found a decline in young aspens reaching maturity due to prolonged drought and unmanaged animals grazing.
    John Leos, The Arizona Republic, 18 Nov. 2024
Definition of prolonged
Adjective
  • The problems are not susceptible to one solution but families should not go bankrupt from interminable family law litigation.
    Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 30 Oct. 2024
  • After those interminable discussions, dinner had still not been served, and Ms. Daniels was hungry.
    John R. MacArthur, Harper's Magazine, 13 Sep. 2024
Definition of interminable
Verb
  • But rather than focus on the actual victims or damage, many right-wing influencers and politicians have extended their sympathies to a nonexistent girl and her puppy (who is also not real).
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2024
  • Lift your knees off the ground, and step your feet back so that your legs are straight and fully extended.
    Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 4 Oct. 2024
Definition of extended
Adjective
  • The Goons had expensive vehicles and no curfews and longish hair that hung in their eyes.
    Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 21 June 2024
  • Christopher Andersen, author of multiple royal biographies thinks Charles could still enjoy a longish reign given his parents' longevity.
    Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2024
Definition of longish
Adjective
  • There’s no denying that Hearst’s dollar went further in that the film is overlong but beautifully framed, wonderfully optimistic about true love, and spectacularly costumed right down to the Frenchmen in tights.
    Elle Carroll, Vulture, 18 June 2024
  • And the slightly overlong story is helped along by a steady stream of laughs, remarkably more than expected given the premise.
    Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024
Definition of overlong
Verb
  • Lieberman said weekend ridership increased the most, providing half-hourly weekend train services instead of hourly.
    Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 17 Nov. 2024
  • The Orange Democrat’s vote percentage has gradually increased as more ballots have been counted in recent days, eroding Steel’s initial lead of approximately 11,000 votes.
    Hanna Kang, Orange County Register, 16 Nov. 2024
Definition of increased
Adjective
  • Understanding Workplace Anxiety Workplace anxiety refers to persistent fear and worry that occurs within job settings.
    Erik Pham, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
  • And recent economic data suggests that inflation pressures could prove more persistent and economic growth more resilient than was thought just a few months ago.
    Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024
Definition of persistent
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near protracted

protract

protracted

protracting

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Protracted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protracted. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on protracted

Nglish: Translation of protracted for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of protracted for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...