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.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonchronically
  adverb
• subchronically
  adverb
• unchronically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of chronically

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chronically

The percentage of chronically absent students fell from 36 percent in 2024 to 20 percent by the end of the 2025–26 school year.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

And in an X post widely derided for "showing off" her dedication to work, she wrote in July she has been chronically sleeping just "zero to three hours" as prime minister.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

Although this condition is linked to a wide variety of negative health effects, the public chronically underestimates its seriousness.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

But the country’s rulers are taking time-tested steps to keep their chronically battered economy functioning just enough to resist a drawn-out campaign.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

He was handsome and unattractive, a swashbuckling, beefy, conceited man who was putting on fat and was tormented chronically by prolonged seizures of apprehension.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller