chronic

Rarely chron·i·cal

[kron-ik]

adjective

1. constant; habitual; inveterate.

   a chronic liar.

   Synonyms: hardened, confirmed

2. continuing a long time or recurring frequently.

   a chronic state of civil war.

3. having long had a disease, habit, weakness, or the like.

   a chronic invalid.

4. (of a disease) having long duration (acute ).

noun

1. Slang.,  cronic.

chronic

/ krɒˈnɪsɪtɪ, ˈkrɒnɪk /

adjective

1. continuing for a long time; constantly recurring

2. (of a disease) developing slowly, or of long duration Compare acute

3. inveterate; habitual

   a chronic smoker

4. informal

   1. very bad

      the play was chronic

   2. very serious

      he left her in a chronic condition

chronic

1. Relating to an illness or medical condition that is characterized by long duration or frequent recurrence. Diabetes and hypertension are chronic diseases.

2. Compare acute

Other Word Forms

• chronically adverb
• chronicity noun
• nonchronic adjective
• nonchronical adjective
• subchronic adjective
• subchronical adjective
• unchronic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chronic¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin chronicus, from Greek chronikós, equivalent to chrón(os) “time” + -ikos -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of chronic¹

C15: from Latin chronicus relating to time, from Greek khronikos, from khronos time

Example Sentences

This is why they are intended for long-term use in patients who need them, he says, stressing that obesity is a chronic disease.

Read more on BBC

"It's so phenomenal to be able to say in my lifetime, I have seen something going from being incurable, a life sentence, to actually something that is a chronic disease."

Read more on BBC

After the U.S. in 2019 sanctioned Venezuela’s oil industry, Iran sent small fuel cargoes to try to ease chronic shortages.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Greece has put the greater Athens area and two islands on a water emergency footing, to speed up infrastructure works and address the mounting threat of chronic drought.

Read more on Barron's

She also takes care of her partner, who has a chronic health condition.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• constant 
• continual 
• continuing www.thesaurus.com
• continuous 
• deep-rooted 
• deep-seated 
• habitual 
• incurable 
• lifelong 
• lingering www.thesaurus.com
• persistent 
• protracted 
• recurrent 
• recurring 
• sustained