long-drawn-outˌlong-drawn-ˈout (also ˈlong-drawn) adjective [only before noun] 
Examples
The official enquiry was a long-drawn-out process.► see thesaurus at long
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- a long-drawn-out court battle
- Netscape faces a long-drawn-out battle with software giant Microsoft.
- The long-drawn-out campaigns that precede every election in the US have already begun.
- This war is too one-sided to be very long-drawn-out.
- Avoiding long-drawn-out negotiations and yet ensuring that everyone is in the know is part of the task of governors.
- It made a long-drawn-out noise which sounded like a high-pitched foghorn and backed away, raising its hands to its mouth.
- Mae was refused a visa and what looked like a short hiccup developed into a long-drawn-out campaign.
- The battle proved to be one of the most long-drawn-out takeovers ever, involving many twists and changes of fortune.
- The moment seemed to go on for ever, impossibly long-drawn-out.
- This long-drawn-out effort finally succeeded in 1920, and Ida Smedley was the first woman to be formally accepted into the Society.
- Whatever musings had abstracted me from the charms of the city fled before the lucidity of that long-drawn-out instant of disaster.
THESAURUStoo long► long-winded
continuing for a longer time than is wanted or necessary SYN protracted: continuing for too long – used about speeches, answers, explanations etc: · a very long-winded answer to a simple question· He gave a long-winded speech about the company’s vision for the future.
► interminable very long and boring: · They faced an interminable wait in the departure lounge of the airport.· The journey seemed interminable.
► long-drawn-out [only before noun] used about a process that continues for much too long: · The news heightened expectations that the long-drawn-out investigation might be coming to a close.
Longman Language Activatorcontinuing for too long► long-drawn-out a long-drawn-out process continues for a long time, is very tiring, and probably continues for longer than it needs to: · The long-drawn-out campaigns that precede every election in the US have already begun.· This war is too one-sided to be very long-drawn-out. · Netscape faces a long-drawn-out battle with software giant Microsoft.· Building up a successful herd is a long-drawn out process of careful buying and breeding.
► long-winded a speech or piece of writing that is long-winded is too long and therefore boring or difficult to understand: · Jacques launched into a long-winded explanation that left us just as confused as before.· Her letters do tend to be a bit long-winded.· I'm sick of reading badly-written and long-winded scripts by candidates who should know better.
► protracted something unpleasant that is protracted continues for a long time, which makes it worse than usual: · After a bloody and protracted struggle, the "Mau-Mau" fighters forced Britain to grant independence.· This marks the first day of what is likely to be a protracted and bitter courtroom battle.· There was a protracted silence, after which Lydia said quietly, 'I'm to inherit all the money -- you'll get nothing.'
► interminable formal continuing for a very long time so that it becomes boring and you become impatient: · The ride back to the city seemed interminable.· What's the reason for all these interminable delays?· She wasn't looking forward to the interminable winter nights, alone in the cabin.· He launched into an interminable monologue about his last therapy session.
► drag on to continue for too long and so become boring or annoying: · Despair grew as the war dragged on.· Presidential campaigns seem to drag on forever.· If the stalemate drags on, there could be serious consequences for the town's population. drag on for weeks/years etc: · Lawsuits about titles to land often drag on for years without settlement.· The fighting dragged on for another two years before a settlement was finally reached.drag on into October/2002/next year etc: · Analysts fear the downturn will drag on into next year.drag on until 1945/2.00 a.m. etc: · The meeting dragged on until late afternoon.
► take ages/years/forever etc to take much longer than seems reasonable: · Getting visas to visit America seemed to take ages.· The problem with letters is that they always get lost or take forever to arrive.· It'll take days to sort this mess out.take somebody ages/years/forever etc: · It took me ages to get all that washing done.· It took Josephine months to finish writing her dissertation.
The official enquiry was a long-drawn-out process.► see thesaurus at long