adverb
long since, already (a long time ago)
B1
Längst: a temporal adverb meaning 'long since' or 'already (a long time ago)'. Used to indicate an action or state that occurred well before now: e.g., 'Ich habe längst gegessen.' Not inflected; typically placed before the main verb or after auxiliary verbs to stress prior completion.
Examples
Ich habe das längst erledigt.
I've long since finished that.
Obwohl das Problem längst bekannt war, reagierte die Verwaltung erst später, als die Presse berichtete.
Although the problem had long been known, the administration only reacted later when the press reported.
Das Problem ist längst gelöst.
The problem has already been solved (for quite some time).
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a long timeline with a point way back labeled 'längst'.
Sounds like 'longest' in English — think 'a long time ago'.
Notes
längst emphasizes that something happened well before now; it often corresponds to 'long since' or 'already' in contexts where the timing is significantly earlier.