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Synonyms

chronic

American  
[kron-ik] / ˈkrɒn ɪk /
Rarely chronical

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 British  
/ 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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
chronic Scientific  
/ krŏn′ĭk /

  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

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.

"Obesity is a complex, chronic disease with serious health consequences. These medicines are highly effective and are helping many people," Ariaee says.

From Science Daily

Their research combines caffeine with CRISPR, a powerful gene editing tool known as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, to explore new ways to treat chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

From Science Daily

The findings, which are related to a sensor in the nerve cells of the skin, might provide clues for treating chronic itch conditions.

From The Wall Street Journal

For chronic conditions like atrial fibrillation and heart failure, care plans should reflect factors unique to women.

From Science Daily

At the same time, though, most companies have refrained from widespread layoffs given a chronic shortage of skilled workers.

From MarketWatch

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.