longueur: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2 / LowFormal, Literary, Critical
Quick answer
What does “longueur” mean?
A boring, tedious, or excessively long section or passage in a book, play, piece of music, or performance.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A boring, tedious, or excessively long section or passage in a book, play, piece of music, or performance.
A prolonged, dull, or wearisome stretch or interval in any prolonged event, experience, or situation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. More common in highbrow UK literary/critical reviews, but equally understood and used in similar American contexts.
Connotations
Sophisticated criticism; implies the critic's discernment and high standards.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both varieties, almost exclusively found in artistic/literary critique.
Grammar
How to Use “longueur” in a Sentence
[work] has/suffers from/contains a longueurThe [section/part] is a longueur.despite the longueursVocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in literary, musical, or dramatic criticism.
Everyday
Extremely rare; would mark the speaker as highly literate.
Technical
Term of art in criticism and review.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “longueur”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “longueur”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “longueur”
- Misspelling as 'longuer' or 'longeur'.
- Using it to mean simply 'a long thing' rather than 'a tedious section'.
- Pronouncing it as /ˈlɒŋɡər/ instead of /lɒŋˈɡɜː/.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is a fully naturalised loanword from French, used in English literary and artistic criticism since the early 20th century.
It is pronounced 'long-GUR', with the stress on the second syllable: /lɒŋˈɡɜːr/. The 'g' is hard.
Yes, the plural is 'longueurs' (pronounced /lɒŋˈɡɜːz/), often used to describe multiple dull sections in a work.
It comes directly from French 'longueur', meaning 'length'. In French critical terminology, it came to mean a 'lengthy and boring passage' and was borrowed into English with this specific sense.
A boring, tedious, or excessively long section or passage in a book, play, piece of music, or performance.
Longueur is usually formal, literary, critical in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms use this word directly]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: A 'LONG' 'URGH' (sound of boredom) section in a book or play = LONGUEUR.
Conceptual Metaphor
ARTISTIC WORK IS A JOURNEY / A longueur is a dull, flat stretch of road on that journey.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the word 'longueur' be most appropriately used?