long-suffering
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Usage
What does long-suffering mean? Long-suffering is most commonly used as an adjective to describe someone who patiently endures negative situations for long periods of time without complaining.It’s often used in situations in which someone has endured pain, injury, illness, hardship, tragedy, or difficulty in accomplishing something. It’s also often used to describe a person who has stood by or supported someone during a difficult time.Sometimes, it’s used in the context of situations that aren’t very serious, such as to describe the faithful and long-suffering fans of a team that always loses. It’s also often used to describe a spouse as patiently enduring the whims or aggravating behaviors of their partner, as in My long-suffering husband merely sighed when I brought home yet another stray cat.Importantly, though, long-suffering doesn’t simply indicate that someone has endured bad things for a long time—it implies that they have endured such things without complaint.Long-suffering can also be used as a noun meaning the patient endurance of negative situations without complaint. It can refer to a quality, an ability, or an instance of such endurance.In religious contexts, long-suffering is discussed as a virtue, especially one involving being patient and slow to get angry. A close synonym is forbearance.Long-suffering is sometimes spelled as one word, without a hyphen, as longsuffering. It’s perhaps most commonly spelled this way when it’s used as a noun.Example: My long-suffering family has made so many sacrifices without complaint during this long ordeal.
Other Word Forms
- long-sufferingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of long-suffering
First recorded in 1520–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The statement didn’t mention the goal of regime change or the prospect of empowering the country’s long-suffering opposition.
Maybe it leads to a better government for the long-suffering Iranian people.
From Los Angeles Times
The president, the survivor of countless negotiations with his long-suffering creditors, chose his words carefully.
From MarketWatch
Wales captain Dewi Lake has urged long-suffering home fans to bring "support and noise" when his struggling side bid to revive their Six Nations campaign against Scotland in Cardiff on Saturday.
From Barron's
Despite their struggles in the league under Postecoglou, the Australian's attacking style at least provided entertainment for long-suffering fans, in contrast to Frank's dour defensive game plan.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
