extended

Compared meaning: lasting for a very long time (adjective).

比较义项：持续时间很长，历时长久（形容词）。

• long

  The most common, neutral word for lasting a great amount of time; used broadly for time periods, waits, meetings, books, with no special connotation.

  最普通、中性的词，表示持续时间很长；广泛用于时间段、等待、会议、书籍等，没有特殊的感情色彩。

  It was a long meeting, and everyone was tired by the end.

  这是一场很长的会议，到最后大家都累了。

• extended 本词

  Describes something made longer than originally planned or expected, often formally, such as a stay, deadline or warranty; implies a deliberate extension.

  指某事被延长到超出原计划或预期的时间，常用于正式场合，如停留、截止日期或保修期；暗示是刻意延长的。

  The airline offered passengers an extended stay at the hotel due to the delay.

  由于航班延误，航空公司为乘客提供了延长的酒店住宿。

• lifelong

  Specifically means lasting for a person's entire life; used for relationships, habits, dreams or conditions that never end.

  特指持续一个人的一生；用于形容关系、习惯、梦想或永远不会结束的状况。

  Her lifelong dream was finally realized when she opened her own bakery.

  当她开了自己的面包店时，她终身的梦想终于实现了。

• chronic

  Describes a problem, illness or bad habit that persists over a long time or keeps recurring; carries a negative connotation.

  形容一个问题、疾病或坏习惯持续很久或反复发生；带有负面的感情色彩。

  Chronic stress at work eventually affected his health.

  长期反复的工作压力最终影响了他的健康。

Long, extended, lifelong, and chronic all describe something lasting a long time. Long is the most common, neutral word. Extended means made longer than planned, for a stay or deadline. Lifelong means lasting a person's whole life. Chronic describes a problem that keeps happening.

这几个词都能表示“持续时间很长”，但语气、正式程度和搭配不同：long最中性常用，extended强调被刻意延长，lifelong特指贯穿一生，chronic多用于负面、反复出现的问题或疾病。这里不比较 long 表示“长的”（指距离长）的意义，也不比较 extended 用于 extended family（大家庭）等其他用法。

Compared meaning: covering a large area (adjective).

比较义项：面积广、范围大（形容词）。

• wide

  Wide focuses on the breadth of something from side to side, and is the standard word for rivers, roads, and open spaces — not for general objects like a house or a dog.

  wide 着重指某物从一侧到另一侧的宽度，是描述河流、道路和开阔空间的标准用词，不适合用来形容房子或狗等普通物体。

  The new highway is wide enough for four lanes of traffic.

  这条新高速公路宽到可以容纳四条车道。

• extended 本词

  Extended describes something enlarged or stretched beyond its original or usual scope, often used for families, networks, or time periods rather than plain physical size; it is more formal than the other three words.

  extended 指某事物被扩大或延伸到超出原有或通常的范围，常用于家庭、网络或时间段，而不是单纯的物理大小；比另外三个词更正式。

  In many cultures, the extended family includes grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

  在许多文化中，大家庭包括祖父母、姑姑和叔叔。

• great

  Great is an emphatic, somewhat literary word for grand or impressive size, typically used for expanses like forests, plains, or oceans; outside this sense it usually just means excellent.

  great 是一种带有文学色彩、语气较强的说法，形容宏大或令人印象深刻的规模，常用于森林、平原、海洋等广阔景象；在这一意义之外，great 通常只表示“极好的”。

  A great forest once covered this entire region.

  一片广袤的森林曾经覆盖了这整个地区。

• big

  Big is the plain, everyday word for large size, usable for almost anything from objects to feelings, with no special register — the most common and neutral choice in casual speech.

  big 是最普通、最日常的“大”，几乎可以用来形容任何事物，从物体到感受都适用，没有特殊语域色彩，是口语中最常见、最中性的选择。

  They live in a really big house with five bedrooms.

  他们住的房子真的很大，有五间卧室。

Wide, extended, great, and big can all describe a large area. Wide means broad, used for rivers or roads. Extended means enlarged beyond its usual scope, often families or networks. Great is emphatic and literary, for forests or oceans. Big is the plain, everyday word.

这四个词都可以表示面积大、范围广，但语气和适用范围不同：wide 侧重物理宽度，big 最口语化，extended 更正式，常见于家庭、网络等抽象范围，great 则带有文学色彩、语气更强烈。这里不比较 great 表示“极好的”的用法，也不比较 extended 表示（时间上）延长的用法。