long-drawn-out
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++ˌlong-drawn-ˈout (also long-drawn) adjective [only before noun] LONG TIMEcontinuing for a longer time than is wanted or necessary 〔时间〕拖长了的，持续太久的 SYN protracted The official enquiry was a long-drawn-out process. 官方的调查过程拖得很长。► see thesaurus at long
Examples from the Corpus
long-drawn-out• This war is too one-sided to be very long-drawn-out.• The moment seemed to go on for ever, impossibly long-drawn-out.• Netscape faces a long-drawn-out battle with software giant Microsoft.• Mae was refused a visa and what looked like a short hiccup developed into a long-drawn-out campaign.• The long-drawn-out campaigns that precede every election in the US have already begun.• a long-drawn-out court battle• This long-drawn-out effort finally succeeded in 1920, and Ida Smedley was the first woman to be formally accepted into the Society.• Whatever musings had abstracted me from the charms of the city fled before the lucidity of that long-drawn-out instant of disaster.• Avoiding long-drawn-out negotiations and yet ensuring that everyone is in the know is part of the task of governors.• It made a long-drawn-out noise which sounded like a high-pitched foghorn and backed away, raising its hands to its mouth.• The battle proved to be one of the most long-drawn-out takeovers ever, involving many twists and changes of fortune.ˌlong-drawn-ˈout adjectiveChineseSyllable
continuing Corpus for than longer is time necessary or a wanted
long-drawn-out
ˌlong-drawn-ˈout
(also ˈlong-drawn) adjective [only before noun]
continuing for a longer time than is wanted or necessary
SYN protracted:
The official enquiry was a long-drawn-out process.
■ too long
▪long-winded continuing for too long - used about speeches, answers, explanations etc: a very long-winded answer to a simple question | He gave a long-winded speech about the company's vision for the future.
▪interminable very long and boring: They faced an interminable wait in the departure lounge of the airport. | The journey seemed interminable.
▪long-drawn-out [only before noun] used about a process that continues for much too long: The news heightened expectations that the long-drawn-out investigation might be coming to a close.
ˌlong-drawn-ˈout
(also ˈlong-drawn) adjective [only before noun]continuing for a longer time than is wanted or necessary
SYN protracted:
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