dragged out
Stretched beyond necessity
Dragged out describes something extended beyond its natural or reasonable length.
A meeting that dragged out for three hours lasted too long.
A dragged-out goodbye is prolonged and tedious.
The phrase emphasizes reluctance or resistance—as if time itself had to be pulled forward.
To drag out a process is to extend it unnecessarily: They dragged out the negotiations for months.
- prolongedMade to last longer
- lengthyOf excessive duration
- extendedLengthened in time or space
- protractedExtended beyond normal duration
- laboredRequiring great exertion
exhausting · tedious · lingering · stretched · strung along · never ending · interminable · draining · boring · filibuster · overwrought · elongated · serial · monotonous · tiresome · repetitive · run into the ground · extracted