Meaning & use
long memory
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
The tendency of a person or group to keep remembering things that happened long ago, especially insults or unfair treatment.
Grammar: Used mainly after 'have': people have a long memory; the plural 'long memories' is also common for groups.
Patterns
- have a long memory
- have long memories
- someone has a long memory about something
Voters here have a long memory, and they still punish candidates who broke their promises.
My grandmother has a long memory for family arguments that ended forty years ago.
Neighbors have long memories, so be careful what you say about the new family.
phraseusually singular
The ability to recall events or information from many years back.
Grammar: Often contrasted with 'a short memory'; can follow 'with' when describing someone's recall.
Patterns
- a long memory for something
- with a long memory
She has a long memory for old songs and can sing every word.
With a long memory for dates, he can tell you exactly when each treaty was signed.
Common combinations
- have a long memory
- People in this town have a long memory when it comes to political scandals.
- a long memory for something
- He has a long memory for the names of everyone he has ever taught.
- long memories
- Football fans have long memories and rarely forgive a player who leaves for a rival club.
- a very long memory
- My aunt has a very long memory and still mentions the time I dropped her vase.
- with a long memory
- With a long memory and plenty of patience, she waited years for an apology.
Synonyms and how they differ
- good memory
- Use 'good memory' for the general ability to remember facts well; 'long memory' stresses remembering far into the past, often grudges.
- grudge-holding
- This describes the behavior of someone who stays angry; 'a long memory' is broader and can be neutral or even admiring.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: long memory or long-term memory?
long memory vs long-term memory
This is a psychology term for stored information in the brain, not the everyday idea of people remembering past events or insults.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'long memory' in the most natural way?
Choose one answer.
'Have a long memory' means people keep remembering past events, so the villagers example fits. The computer option describes storage, for which we say 'large memory'; the essay option confuses it with 'long deadline'; and the shop option treats the phrase as a physical object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “long memory”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.