chronic

Rarely chron·i·cal

[kron-ik]

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 (acute ).

noun

1. Slang.,  cronic.

chronic

/ 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

chronic

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

Other Word Forms

• chronicity noun
• chronically adverb
• nonchronic adjective
• nonchronical adjective
• subchronic adjective
• subchronical adjective
• unchronic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chronic¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin chronicus, from Greek chronikós, equivalent to chrón(os) “time” + -ikos -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of chronic¹

C15: from Latin chronicus relating to time, from Greek khronikos, from khronos time

Example Sentences

It was reported that she suffered from a debilitating infection known as the Epstein Barr virus, and from the chronic fatigue syndrome, ME.

From BBC

“For Netflix, it’s been a home run success. And Amazon is going to go down the same path. ... It’s a chronic issue for Amazon.”

From Los Angeles Times

The problem the council faced was rising costs and "years of chronic underfunding by central government," she said, adding that finding the necessary cuts would be difficult.

From BBC

He hoped it would make the house warmer and help his late father - who suffered from chronic asthma - to cope during the colder months.

From BBC

The United States, Iran and India also rank near the top, with rising temperatures and chronic overuse of groundwater.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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