Guide 176 / 200 4 alternatives 2-minute read

Better ways to say “in the long run”

A forward-looking hedge made famous by Keynes's rebuttal: "in the long run we are all dead."

i · Why avoid itTwo lines, no filler

Useful when contrasting with short-term effects. Often used loosely to mean "eventually" or "if you wait long enough" — both of which are vaguer than the timescale the writer has in mind. Name the horizon.

ii · Before & afterDrop-in demo

Before

This will pay off in the long run.

After

This will pay off within three to five years.

iii · The alternatives4 ways out

01

Over time neutral

unspecified horizon

The investment compounds over time.
02

Eventually neutral

undated outcome

Eventually, this will pay off.
03

Over the next [N] years neutral

specific horizon

Over the next three years, this will pay off.
04

In the long term formal

formal alternative

In the long term, this will pay off.

iv · Brew tipKeep this one

Name the horizon and the phrase becomes a forecast, not a hedge.