DURATION Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

duration

noun

du̇-ˈrā-shən

Definition of duration

as in time

the period during which something exists, lasts, or is in progress for the whole duration of the speech the bored audience fidgeted

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in continuation

uninterrupted or lasting existence scientists warning that the very duration of our civilization depends upon finding a solution to this major environmental problem

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of duration Why having extra treasury debt did not increase the interest rate, but having hyperscaler debt of a similar duration did increase it? — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2026 The researchers couldn’t identify an ideal exercise schedule because the programs varied widely in frequency and duration. — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 13 Oct. 2026 The free trial associated with this subscription will be appended to the standard duration of access. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026 Its maximum totality will occur just southeast of Luxor, Egypt — precisely 16 seconds short of the maximum duration on July 22, 2009. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for duration

Recent Examples of Synonyms for duration

Noun

In the debate Thursday night, Sullivan highlighted his record defending Alaska's energy and military interests in the state and attacked Peltola as ineffective during her time in office.

— Matthew Choi The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Larsson has missed practice time and the final three preseason games because of his illness, and Smith missed the entire preseason after straining his calf during training camp.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of time

Noun

The model was doing exactly what it was trained to do, which was to produce plausible-sounding continuations of the prompts Lemoine had chosen to feed it about consciousness.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
The evening, co-hosted by Vanity Fair, marked a continuation in the film’s already lengthy journey, with a suitably ambitious exhibition pulling back the curtain on costumes, puppets, props and diminutive sets.

— Bridget Arsenault, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of continuation

Noun

Medical advances and popes’ longer lifespans, however, have highlighted this gap in church law and prompted calls for the Vatican to prepare for a pope becoming too ill or incapacitated to govern.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
The potential lifespan improvement generally increased with battery voltage, making the approach particularly promising for vehicles with many cells connected in series.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of lifespan

Noun

The shoot couldn’t run in sequence and was organized by location instead, so Patil tracked her own makeup, hair, body and voice continuity across Selvi’s decline, leaning on continuity photos and long rehearsals with the ensemble.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Relations between criminals and the authorities would become especially cozy; nostalgic references to a lost past would provide a false sense of continuity.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of continuity

Noun

The work is intended to help transfer specialized nuclear-submarine design knowledge, improve technical coordination and strengthen the industrial capabilities required to build and sustain advanced submarines over their operational lifetimes.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Cooked, though, is like a film about said playground, each shot carefully captured and then edited into a strange and multivalent whole that could take a lifetime to parse.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of lifetime

Noun

Jones refused to come out of his cell to meet with him, Johnson wrote in a motion for a continuance that Judge Doug Allen denied.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026
Central to these efforts will be the continuance of the congressional approval for the president to operate under the Authorization for Use of Military Force.

— John M. Weaver, Baltimore Sun, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of continuance

Noun

For younger consumers who have always managed much of their lives through apps, these experiences often feel like different versions of the same activity.

— Aneri Jambusaria, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
People who score high on measures of zest are also more likely to view their lives as meaningful.

— Joan M. Cook, Time, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of life

Noun

Then there’s a clearing of throats, and like malware, the narratives begin to establish persistence over mood and multiply.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026
The dehumanization of Black people represented by the persistence of Confederate iconography in mainstream culture became an underground signifier of the precariousness of the freedoms enshrined by the 14th Amendment.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of persistence

Browse Nearby Words

durables

duration

durations

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Duration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duration. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of duration

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fervid

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes