overlong

1 of 2

adjective

over·​long ˌō-vər-ˈlȯŋ How to pronounce overlong (audio)
: longer than usual or necessary : excessively long
an overlong meeting/speech
overlong sleeves
an overlong chapter
working overlong hours
The film feels overlong and a bit repetitious …Randy Cordova

overlong

2 of 2

adverb

: for an excessively long time
The meeting ran overlong.
… aircraft were kept waiting overlong on boiling hot runways.Ted Conover
If a person talks on overlong, people around the circle began to discreetly cough.Thom Hartmann

Examples of overlong in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
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 In this case, the slip-up, and only then if the person on the receiving end was savvy enough to realize, was a confusingly complex and overlong password reset process. Davey Winder, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024 Folie à Deux is both overlong and empty, padded out with copious shots of characters walking down hallways or staring out of car windows. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2024 Chronicling the brothers’ upbringing, the murders and everything thereafter, the series is overlong and exhausting. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 19 Sep. 2024 Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose is still overlong and repetitive at four hours. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 July 2024 The film, which feels overlong at 145 minutes, suffers both from repetition and an over-reliance on melodramatic plot devices. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 The tutorials are overlong, and the first zone is claustrophobic. Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 2 Feb. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overlong was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near overlong

Cite this Entry

“Overlong.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overlong. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

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