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drawn-out

drawn-out

15 4.6
Lasting longer than needed and feeling tiring
  • adjective
  • /drɔn aʊt/
translation icon : prolongado
  • We had to sit through a drawn-out presentation that could have been summarized in ten minutes.
  • drawn-out fight
  • drawn-out process
  • drawn-out conflict

This is like a long drawn out recipe that I'm giving to you for free.

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Examples

  • Getting approved for a loan was a very long and drawn-out process that took hours.

    Blog text (26)
  • As a people, Americans tend to be impatient and are quickly frustrated with long, drawn-out wars.

    Academic text (1997)
  • That gets drawn out longer and longer.

  • So it's been like one really long drawn out spring break.

  • This has been kind of a long and drawn out episode of my blog.

  • Are you still watching these long drawn out makeup videos?

  • Nowadays, it is a long, drawn-out process that takes up a lot of time and energy.

    Blog text (29)
  • A long, drawn-out Conclave would be seen by the media as proof that the Church is in crisis.

  • So she appealed to the audience, and that's when things got drawn out and awkwardly funny.

    Blog text (3)
  • After a drawn-out debate, the Senate agreed, defeating an amendment to restore production.

    Academic text (2010)

Synonyms

boring
vsdrawn-out
721 1.0

Not interesting and making you feel tired or impatient

adds that the lack of interest comes from needless length
tedious
vsdrawn-out
87 4.4

Boring and repetitive, making you feel mentally tired

emphasizes unnecessary long duration rather than just dullness
prolonged
vsdrawn-out
69 3.9

Continuing for a longer time than usual

focuses on needless extension that also feels wearying
time-consuming
vsdrawn-out
48 4.2

Needing a lot of time and patience

focuses instead on unnecessary length that feels tiresome
tiresome
vsdrawn-out
37 4.1

Making you bored, annoyed, or mentally tired

stresses unnecessary long duration as the cause of weariness
protracted
vsdrawn-out
29 6.6

Continuing for a long time, often longer than expected

is the same idea but stresses needless, wearisome duration
tiring
vsdrawn-out
25 1.0

Making you feel tired after a lot of activity

focuses more on needless prolonged time causing annoyance
long-winded
vsdrawn-out
18 5.8

Saying or writing more words than needed and taking too long

covers needless long duration in any situation, not just speech
monotonous
vsdrawn-out
14 5.3

Something that is boring because it has no variety

centres on needless long duration, not just repetitive sameness
interminable
vsdrawn-out
13 7.5

Lasting a very long time and making you bored or annoyed

is similar but more about needless length causing weariness
extended
vsdrawn-out
11 4.0

Lasting longer than usual

highlights unnecessary prolonging that becomes tiring
overlong
vsdrawn-out
3 4.2

Longer than needed or wanted

adds that this needless length often feels tiresome

Antonyms

1.0

Not long in distance, height, or time

587 2.0

Using few words or lasting only a short time

How Long

interminable
13 7.5
drawn-out
15 4.6
protracted
29 6.6
extended
11 4.0
lengthy
109 3.5

Surface Forms

drawn-out positive

Morphology

drawn-out = draw (transparent) = out + drawn

Built from the phrasal verb 'draw out' meaning 'to extend or prolong', so the adjective meaning 'lasting longer than necessary' is directly related to the base phrase. [Postprocessing: moved 'out' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Drawn-out comes from the parts draw meaning 'to pull' and out meaning 'away'. Imagine time being 'pulled out' like a piece of string until it becomes too long, so a drawn-out meeting is one that lasts longer than needed.