chronic

adjective

chron·​ic ˈkrä-nik 

1

a

: continuing or occurring again and again for a long time

chronic pain

chronic illness

chronic experiments

see also chronic disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, chronic wasting disease

b

: being, providing, or requiring long-term medical care (as for a chronic disease)

chronic medical care

the special needs of chronic patients

2

a

: always present or encountered

especially : constantly vexing, weakening, or troubling

chronic petty warfare

… chronic meddling in one another's domestic affairs …

—Amatzia Baram

b

: being such habitually

a chronic grumbler

chronic noun

plural chronics

Apart from the lady with the sore throat, there were four more new visits, several follow-up calls, and the endless list of chronics.

—Elizabeth Scott

chronically

ˈkrä-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

She is chronically ill.

people who are chronically late

The schools are chronically short of funds.

Synonyms

• persistent
• serial
• habitual
• inveterate
• regular
• steady
• stubborn
• addicted

Choose the Right Synonym for chronic

inveterate, confirmed, chronic mean firmly established.

inveterate applies to a habit, attitude, or feeling of such long existence as to be practically ineradicable or unalterable.

an inveterate smoker

confirmed implies a growing stronger and firmer with time so as to resist change or reform.

a confirmed bachelor

chronic suggests something that is persistent or endlessly recurrent and troublesome.

a chronic complainer

Examples of chronic in a Sentence

He suffers from chronic arthritis.

a chronic need for attention

Inflation has become a chronic condition in the economy.

Don't bother seeing that film—it's chronic.

Recent Examples on the Web

Mitchell viewed his position as intrinsically connected to Eales, who brought him to the club at the start of July and then announced two months later he had been diagnosed with a chronic form of blood cancer. —Chris Waugh, New York Times, 30 June 2025

For those with a loved one facing Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or another chronic illness, the program will help participants better understand the costs of caregiving and the benefits of early planning. —Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025

Students reported a range of misfortunes, including severe injuries from car accidents, pregnancy complications, depression, PTSD, blindness and chronic illness—all conditions that could befall any STEM major at any time. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025

As conversations around nutrition, metabolic health, and food education continue to grow, keto is becoming a powerful tool for weight management, reversing chronic illness, and sustaining a healthier lifestyle. —Dominique Fluker, Essence, 30 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French chronique, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Late Latin chronicus, going back to Latin, "written in the form of annals," borrowed from Greek chronikós "of time, temporal, in order by time," from chrónos "time" + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at chrono-

Note: Latin chronicus was used by medical writers (as Caelius Aurelianus, ca. early 5th century a.d.) to translate Greek chrónios "occurring again and again," used by Greek medical writers, though Greek chronikós, the source of chronicus, lacks this sense.

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing chronic

• chronic disease
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• chronic traumatic encephalopathy
• chronic wasting disease

Rhymes for chronic

• clonic
• conic
• phonic
• sonic
• tonic
• anharmonic
• anionic
• avionic
• catatonic
• cationic
• chorionic
• cosmogonic

Kids Definition

chronic

adjective

chron·​ic ˈkrän-ik 

1

: continuing or occurring again and again for a long time

a chronic disease

2

: habitual sense 2

a chronic complainer

chronically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Etymology

from French chronique "chronic," from Greek chronikos "of time," from chronos "time" — related to anachronism, chronicle, synchronous

Medical Definition

chronic

1 of 2 adjective

chron·​ic ˈkrän-ik 

variants also chronical

-i-kəl 

1

a

: marked by long duration, by frequent recurrence over a long time, and often by slowly progressing seriousness : not acute

chronic indigestion

Her symptoms became chronic.

see also chronic disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy

b

: being, providing, or requiring long-term medical care (as for a chronic disease)

chronic care facilities

chronic treatment with antidiabetic medication

2

a

: having a slow progressive course of indefinite duration

chronic heart disease

chronic arthritis

chronic tuberculosis

compare acute sense 2b(1)

b

: infected with a disease-causing agent (as a virus) and remaining infectious over a long period of time but not necessarily expressing symptoms

chronic carriers of hepatitis B

chronically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

chronically ill patients

chronic

2 of 2 noun

: one that suffers from a chronic disease