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
But the country’s rulers are taking time-tested steps to keep their chronically battered economy functioning just enough to resist a drawn-out campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
I think the common denominator in all of us who love your music is that we are black sheep — the weird ones, the chronically misunderstood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 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 critics respond with a countertheory: perhaps the giants succumbed instead to a change in climate, such as a severe drought on the already chronically dry Australian continent.
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.
