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Meaning & use

long term effect

noun·Everyday

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UK/ˌlɒŋ tɜːm ɪˈfekt/
US/ˌlɔːŋ tɝːm ɪˈfekt/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    a result that appears a long time after the action or event that caused it, rather than immediately.

    Grammar: Countable, so use 'a long-term effect' or the plural 'long-term effects'; it is usually followed by 'of' or 'on'.

    Patterns

    • the long-term effect of something
    • long-term effects on someone/something
    • have a long-term effect on something
    • suffer long-term effects

    Scientists are still studying the long-term effects of the new drug.

    Missing a year of school can have a long-term effect on a child's reading skills.

    The long-term effects of the flood on local farming are only now becoming clear.

  2. nouncountable

    a result that continues to be felt for many years and does not go away.

    Grammar: Often used in the plural 'long-term effects' when talking about several lasting results of one event.

    Patterns

    • long-term effects of something
    • lasting long-term effects

    The injury left him with long-term effects that stopped him playing professionally.

    Economists warn of the long-term effects of high borrowing on the next generation.

Word forms

plurallong-term effects

Common combinations

long-term effect on
The new law had a long-term effect on small businesses.
long-term effects of
We do not yet know the long-term effects of this diet.
have a long-term effect
Regular exercise has a long-term effect on heart health.
serious long-term effects
The chemical can cause serious long-term effects in workers.
study the long-term effects
Researchers will study the long-term effects over twenty years.

Synonyms and how they differ

consequence
Broader and more neutral: it can be short-term or long-term, whereas 'long-term effect' stresses that the result comes much later.
aftereffect
Suggests an unpleasant result that follows an illness, drug, or shock, so it is narrower and usually negative.
repercussion
Often used for indirect, unwanted results of an action, and it usually comes in the plural; 'long-term effect' is more neutral and scientific.

Opposites

short-term effectimmediate effect

Word family

long-term adjective
continuing or happening over a long period.
effect noun
a change that results from an action or cause.
effectively adverb
in a way that produces the intended result.

Commonly confused: long term effect or affect? long term effect or long-term affect?

long term effect vs affect

'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence something, while 'effect' is the noun for the result. Compare 'Smoking affects the lungs' with 'the long-term effects of smoking'.

long term effect vs long-term affect

This is a common spelling mistake; the noun you want is 'effect', not 'affect'.

Practice

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