chronic
Americanadjective
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continuing for a long time; constantly recurring
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(of a disease) developing slowly, or of long duration Compare acute
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inveterate; habitual
a chronic smoker
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informal
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very bad
the play was chronic
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very serious
he left her in a chronic condition
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Relating to an illness or medical condition that is characterized by long duration or frequent recurrence. Diabetes and hypertension are chronic diseases.
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Compare acute
Other Word Forms
- chronically adverb
- chronicity noun
- nonchronic adjective
- nonchronical adjective
- subchronic adjective
- subchronical adjective
- unchronic adjective
Etymology
Origin of chronic
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin chronicus, from Greek chronikós, equivalent to chrón(os) “time” + -ikos -ic
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.
Poor cardiometabolic health raises the risk of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease.
From Science Daily
It says infection at birth is the most common way of having a lifelong infection, with 90% of infected newborns becoming chronic carriers.
From BBC
Healthy individuals had more of these bacteria than people with conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
From Science Daily
For years, residents and students had repeatedly complained about acrid odors from the site, with many suffering chronic headaches and nosebleeds.
From Los Angeles Times
It was not long ago that England had a chronic lack of centres.
From BBC
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.
