chronically

American  

[kron-ik-lee] / ˈkrɒn ɪk li /

adverb

1. happening constantly or habitually.

   Nationally, millions of students are chronically absent every year.

2. happening or recurring over an extended period of time (opposed toacutely ).

   Monitoring is especially helpful for chronically ill patients wishing to avoid costly hospital stays.

   Close to 900 million people worldwide are chronically undernourished.

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Other Word Forms

• nonchronically adverb
• subchronically adverb
• unchronically adverb

Etymology

Origin of chronically

chronic ( def. ) + -ally ( def. )

Example Sentences

“We were chronically understaffed for the amount of things we wanted to take on,” McCardel said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

Along with the chronically weak yen, the booming popularity of anime and game franchises such as Pokemon is drawing tourists to the nation.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

The system is certainly chronically overloaded, with some of the longest-running trials in the EU.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

Despite the obvious medical concerns, and the chronically inert action, there remains sizable public nostalgia for watching fighters who are too old to fight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

The older I got, the more I realized that my happy-Mom memories were often fabrications invented to make me feel better about her being chronically unhappy.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King