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 (opposed to acute).

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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

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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

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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

Explanation

If you smoke a cigarette once, you've simply made a bad choice. But if you're a chronic smoker, you've been smoking for a long time and will have a hard time stopping. The word chronic is used to describe things that occur over a long period of time and, in fact, comes from the Greek word for time, khronos. If you have chronic asthma, it is a recurring health issue for you. No one likes a chronic liar! A problem that cannot be solved can also be called chronic - think of the chronic food shortages in certain parts of the world.

Example Sentences

And what felt worst was that I was working on a book about my other chronic illnesses.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

For my peers battling acne, eczema or chronic sensitivity, most of the remedies didn’t seem to work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Several factors appear to drive this decline, including accumulated cellular damage, changes in gene activity, chronic low-level inflammation, and shifts in the bone marrow environment.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2026

“Over the longer term, it creates a kind of chronic instability that makes it extremely difficult to engage in healthcare, maintain treatment, or make progress toward housing,” Henwood said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Nigro couldn’t take time off from his teaching schedule to accompany him, nor could Regina leave her job and studies, especially since she’d been home ill with a chronic lung problem for three weeks.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

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