chronic

1 of 3

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 venous insufficiency, 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

chronically

ˈkrä-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

She is chronically ill.

people who are chronically late

The schools are chronically short of funds.

chronic

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural chronics

: someone who has a chronic medical condition : a person who experiences something (such as pain or illness) continually or again and again for a long time

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

chronic

3 of 3

noun (2)

slang

: highly potent marijuana : marijuana containing a higher-than-average percentage of THC

"We grew up together …," he [Daz Dillinger] says, blowing pot smoke in my face and grinning. "You smoke chronic?" he asks, offering.

—Charles Aaron

The … marijuana strain, also nicknamed "chronic," has "about 25 percent THC content," [Andrew] Thomas said, referring to the intoxicating component of marijuana.

—Michael Kiefer

Synonyms of chronic

Adjective

• 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

Adjective

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

Adjective

Taking glutathione through a nebulizer may constrict the airways of people who have asthma or chronic lung conditions. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

China is the world’s biggest consumer of human albumin, the most abundant protein in plasma, which is widely used in care for critical trauma such as burns, and restoring blood protein levels from chronic conditions, like liver diseases. — Cnn Staff, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026

While less than nine people during the last seven years died directly from heat, getting too hot can cause heatstroke and exacerbate chronic issues like heart and respiratory diseases, according to the health department. — Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2026

The specialised center treats children for acute and chronic pain. — Kirk Ogunrinde, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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.

Noun (2)

shortened from hydrochronic, a malapropism for hydroponic, in reference to hydroponically grown marijuana

Note: This account of the origin was given by the rap artist and producer Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus Jr.) in a podcast on his Double G News Network with the Canadian comedian Seth Rogen (released June 10, 2014). The word figures in The Chronic, the title of the first solo album by the rapper Dr. Dre (Andre Romell Young), released in 1992. The album features a number of appearances by Snoop Dogg.

First Known Use

Adjective

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (1)

1767, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1992, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing chronic

• chronic disease
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• chronic traumatic encephalopathy
• chronic venous insufficiency
• 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

Adjective

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, chronic venous insufficiency

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