It could see a short period of weakness - from which the economy would quickly rebound - or a prolongeddownturn bringing rocketing unemployment like that of the early 1980s and early 1990s.
The Sun (2008)
We understand the pressures faced by households across the UK during this prolonged economic downturn.
The Sun (2013)
The question is how deep and how prolonged this downturn will be.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Seesteep downturn
Definition of 'prolonged'
prolonged
(prəlɒŋd, US -lɔːŋd)Explore 'prolonged' in the dictionary
adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A prolonged event or situation continues for a long time, or for longer than expected.