lifelong
gb/lˈaɪflˈɔŋ/ us/lˈaɪflˈɔŋ/
B2
English
~ 6300
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
Lasting for someone's entire life
Continuing for all of a person's life, from beginning to end.
Usage pattern:
a lifelong [noun]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse the word order and say *"long life friend"* instead of "lifelong friend". Also, some learners write it as two separate words (*"life long"*). In standard modern English it is normally written as one word: "lifelong".
Synonyms
lifetime (Often used before a noun in a similar way, but can also refer to the whole span of life itself, not just something that lasts that long.)
|
permanent (Suggests something that does not change, but not always specifically for the whole of a person's life.)
Antonyms
temporary (Describes something that only lasts for a short time, the opposite of something lasting a whole life.)
|
short-term (Highlights that something is planned or expected to last only a limited period, not a whole lifetime.)
Collocations
lifelong friend
|lifelong partner
|lifelong habit
|lifelong dream
|lifelong learning
|lifelong commitment
Themes
time
|relationships
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They have been lifelong friends since they met in kindergarten.
- His lifelong dream was to travel around the world.
- She is a lifelong learner who is always taking new courses.
- He struggled with a lifelong fear of public speaking.
- The award honored her lifelong commitment to human rights.
Learner examples
- She has a lifelong love of music.
- He is my lifelong friend.
- This illness needs lifelong treatment.
- I have a lifelong interest in books.
- They made a lifelong promise to help each other.
Grammar
Dictionary form
lifelong
IPA
GB/lˈaɪflˈɔŋ/
US/lˈaɪflˈɔŋ/
Syllables & stress
lifelong (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (lifelong)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: lifelong
Word family
Expressions
lifelong friend
1/lˈaɪflˈɔŋ fɹˈɛnd/
fixed phrase
Friend for someone's whole life
A person who is your friend for all of your life.
Examples
- We met at summer camp and became lifelong friends.
- She is one of his few lifelong friends from his hometown.
lifelong learner
1/lˈaɪflˈɔŋ lˈɚnɚ/
fixed phrase
Person who learns all their life
A person who keeps learning new things during all of their life, not just when they are young or in school.
Examples
- She describes herself as a lifelong learner who enjoys online courses.
- Good teachers try to create lifelong learners, not just students who pass exams.
lifelong learning
1/lˈaɪflˈɔŋ lˈɚnɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Learning that continues all life
Continuing to study and learn new things during all of your life, not only at school or university.
Examples
- The company offers free courses to support lifelong learning for its employees.
- Lifelong learning is essential in a fast-changing job market.