chronic
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
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continuing for a long time; constantly recurring
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(of a disease) developing slowly, or of long duration Compare acute
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inveterate; habitual
a chronic smoker
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informal
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very bad
the play was chronic
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very serious
he left her in a chronic condition
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Relating to an illness or medical condition that is characterized by long duration or frequent recurrence. Diabetes and hypertension are chronic diseases.
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Compare acute
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing chronic
List 2
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It's About Time: Chron and Temp
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Executives back then said the deal would position the company to tackle two of the biggest issues affecting healthcare: soaring spending and access to care, particularly for chronic conditions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Those infected during infancy are particularly likely to develop chronic infections, which kill up to 25% of people, mostly through liver failure or liver cancer, according to data published in 2020.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
“Indeed, overall, rural life expectancies are lower than for urban areas. Rates of smoking, obesity and chronic conditions such as high blood pressure are higher in rural communities.”
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
I pretend my chronic social media use is “for work,” and to some extent that’s true.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026
The head nurse at Hanawon for the past decade, Chun Jung-hee, told me that a high percentage of women from the North have chronic gynecological infections and cysts.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
