chronically
Americanadverb
-
happening constantly or habitually.
Nationally, millions of students are chronically absent every year.
-
happening or recurring over an extended period of time (opposed toacutely ).
Monitoring is especially helpful for chronically ill patients wishing to avoid costly hospital stays.
Close to 900 million people worldwide are chronically undernourished.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of chronically
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When chronically elevated, these biomarkers have previously been associated with insulin resistance and a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
The international community has raised $1.5 billion to support the response in the DRC, whose healthcare system is chronically underfunded.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
The Los Angeles County housing authorities collectively chose to focus the program on the chronically homeless, Salas said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
The party at the time was chronically short of money.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Unlike China, Europe has many scattered small core areas, none big enough to dominate the others for long, and each the center of chronically independent states.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
