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

This would effectively mean more payments are going to acute conditions and less to chronic ones.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Those are the latest findings in a broader set of four recently published papers that contend that homelessness should be understood as more than just a chronic housing problem.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Kayan, who is now 13, was already living with several complex medical conditions including chronic kidney disease, and the eight-week course of vitamin D prescribed by his GP was in line with recommendations.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

For those aging in place with multiple chronic conditions, keeping up with which meds to take when can feel like a full-time job.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

As for the rest of the children, half of them learned to adjust their functions to the teachers’ ideas of such things and the other half became chronic pants-wetters.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Related Words

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