Meaning & use
longstanding
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Having lasted for a long time, such as a tradition, dispute or friendship.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: a longstanding feud; less often after be: the rule is longstanding.
Patterns
- a longstanding tradition
- a longstanding friend
The two towns have a longstanding rivalry over the annual festival.
She is a longstanding member of the choir.
Residents raised a longstanding complaint about the noisy factory.
Common combinations
- longstanding tradition
- It is a longstanding tradition in our family.
- longstanding dispute
- A longstanding dispute over the border continued.
- longstanding friend
- He is a longstanding friend of the family.
- longstanding problem
- Flooding is a longstanding problem here.
- longstanding commitment
- They kept a longstanding commitment to local schools.
Synonyms and how they differ
- established
- Established means set up and accepted, but it does not stress the length of time as strongly as longstanding.
- enduring
- Enduring stresses lasting power into the future, while longstanding looks back at the past.
- age-old
- Age-old suggests something very ancient, whereas longstanding can refer to just a few decades.
- chronic
- Chronic is used for problems or illnesses that keep returning, and it is negative, unlike longstanding.
Opposites
Word family
- long-standing adjective
- the hyphenated spelling of the same word
- stand verb
- to remain in place or continue
- standing noun
- position, reputation or duration
Commonly confused: longstanding or outstanding?
longstanding vs outstanding
Outstanding means excellent, or still unpaid, and not lasting a long time.
Practice
The two families had a ___ feud that began before either of them was born.
Choose one answer.
Longstanding means lasting a long time, which fits a feud from generations ago. Outstanding means excellent or unpaid, the tempting wrong option.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “longstanding”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.