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

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

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

The ego’s constant need to be fortified made us chronically insecure.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

Unfortunately, workplace harassment is pervasive and chronically underreported.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026

If it had succeeded, it would have been the chronically unstable west African country's third coup in four years.

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

The critics respond with a countertheory: perhaps the giants succumbed instead to a change in climate, such as a severe drought on the already chronically dry Australian continent.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond