LINGERING Synonyms: 138 Similar and Opposite Words

lingering 1 of 2

adjective

as in residual

still existing or happening after something is completed or removed The area is still feeling the lingering effects of the hurricane. There are lingering questions about the extent of his involvement in the crime.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

lingering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of linger

as in delaying

to move or act slowly since they were charging by the hour, the house painters lingered in finishing up their work

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 lingering

Adjective

Shohei Ohtani returned to the top of the Dodgers’ lineup Monday after four days off to address lingering aches, as the club effectively pauses its pitching program for the two-way star. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026 No more distractions, no more lingering questions, just a baller who loves this sport and continues to level up. — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 31 July 2026 Although the treatment significantly reduced the cancer, follow-up exams showed lingering traces of the disease. — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026 Communities near the Canadian fires could see lingering impacts into the weekend as long as fires continue burning and winds keep transporting smoke south. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 15 July 2026 Thomas missed 57 games last season, mostly because of the same lingering left hamstring issue. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026 On the one hand, that means that many survive the disease without serious lingering effects. — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025

Verb

Abruptly moving on, like a magician preventing his audience from lingering on his last trick, Alex pulled out a tablet, holding it up to me. — Andrew Lipstein, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026 Also on the ground floor is Maven, serving strong espresso and nitro cold brew—plus coffee cocktails worth lingering for. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026 With daylight still lingering well into the evening, the sky may not become dark enough for good aurora viewing until around midnight or later. — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026 There was still some lingering skepticism at that rally about Donalds among voters who’d supported other Republican candidates in the primary, attendees told the Miami Herald. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 This will remove any lingering stains and give your fridge a clean, fresh smell. — Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026 Coach Dan Quinn took the ultimate responsibility for the mistakes and now wants to make sure there are no lingering effects from last week's game. — CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Additional treatment can be chemotherapy, used before surgery to shrink a tumor or afterward to attack any lingering cells. — Lauran Neergaard, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 The rich tomato sauce brought plenty of flavor, the Italian sausage added a savory bite and the Calabrian peppers gave the dish a lingering heat without overwhelming everything else. — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingering

Adjective

The numbers are based on an 81% residual value on a 24-month lease with 7,500 miles per year.

— Jerry Perez, The Drive, 14 Oct. 2026
Previous studies relied on paleomagnetism, the study of residual magnetic traces in ancient rocks, since the orientation of those magnetic traces would have varied depending upon where that rock was located relative to Earth's magnetic field.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of residual

Verb

The daughter, Shannon Amos, faults her brother, Kelly Christopher Amos, for delaying medical care while isolating the actor from his family and friends in the years leading up to his death.

— Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
More and more parents are delaying vaccines and citing logistics, outsourcing the decision to the parent who isn’t in the room or simply wanting more time.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of delaying

Adjective

Unlike conventional antidepressants, which can take weeks to work and require daily dosing, psilocybin has shown the potential to produce rapid and lasting improvements after just a handful of administrations, Nath said.

— Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026
Recognizing artists who have made lasting, significant contributions to the live music and concert touring business, past Legend of Live recipients include Usher, John Mayer, George Strait, Journey, Rush, Ozzy Osbourne and Elton John.

— Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of lasting

Verb

He’s also been known to engage with those who might not be fans of his comedic stylings, publicly arguing back and forth with civilians, dragging them on his social media for his fans to see.

— Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
Beaches typically go through a seasonal cycle with powerful winter waves dragging sand out to sea and more mild summer waves depositing the sand back onshore.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of dragging

Verb

My physical study, on the floor, poking at what was there in the open field of the air, led to newfound levels of learning to process, in poems on the page, where my initial feelings of hunger came from.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
In a recent interview with OutKick Dropkick, Hefner was already poking the bear in hopes of getting eyes on his event.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of poking

Verb

At the hospital, an insect fell from the girl’s shoe, and a staffer saw a cockroach crawling on her, the district attorney’s office said.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Of course, an extra three-quarters of an inch clearance and some elastic straps do not transform a unibody, front-biased crossover into an invincible rock-crawling monster.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of crawling

Verb

Finally, while work is underway to build a formal framework for economic espionage, Congress must prevent any creeping erosion of the existing norm through the potentially corrupt dissemination of intelligence to favored companies.

— DAVID S. COHEN, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026
Yep, there are more and more signs creeping in by the election cycle.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of creeping

Browse Nearby Words

lingeries

lingering

lingeringly

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Style

“Lingering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingering. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of lingering

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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