Synonym Chooser

How is the word chronic distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words confirmed and inveterate are common synonyms of chronic. While all three words mean "firmly established," chronic suggests something that is persistent or endlessly recurrent and troublesome.

a chronic complainer

When can confirmed be used instead of chronic?

The words confirmed and chronic are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, confirmed implies a growing stronger and firmer with time so as to resist change or reform.

a confirmed bachelor

When could inveterate be used to replace chronic?

While the synonyms inveterate and chronic are close in meaning, inveterate applies to a habit, attitude, or feeling of such long existence as to be practically ineradicable or unalterable.

an inveterate smoker

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chronic PsA, a chronic inflammatory condition that affects both the skin and joints, often begins subtly but can escalate into significant discomfort and joint damage without proper treatment. Chloe Castleberry, Flow Space, 4 Aug. 2025 In the long term, alcohol affects the areas of your brain that manage blood pressure, contributing to chronic high blood pressure. Jane Kim, Verywell Health, 4 Aug. 2025 Here’s What Actually Helps Advertisement Middle-age is commonly when people get chronic dry eye, but some autoimmune diseases like Sjögren’s syndrome cause it in younger people. Matt Fuchs, Time, 4 Aug. 2025 Usage rates are notably higher among individuals with chronic health conditions: 43 percent of adults with diabetes, 25 percent with heart disease, and 22 percent of those who have been diagnosed as overweight or obese in the past five years have taken one of these medication. Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chronic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chronic
Adjective
  • The persistent low percentages of Black and Indigenous students at UT and the hyper-partisan politics at the state and federal levels add importance and a sense of sacredness to this community that Adeeko and others want to protect.
    Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • Declining growth in the fashion division and the Asia-Japan geography seems to be a common denominator for both luxury groups, but these results signal a downturn that is persistent and increasingly difficult to dismiss, likely hinting to a deeper issue.
    Clara Ludmir, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
Adjective
  • Once, members of the House without a peep of protest even exalted the infamous serial killer known as the Boston Strangler.
    John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • Ritter is currently starring as sommelier and serial killer Mia Lapierre, aka Lady Vengeance, in Showtime’s Dexter: Resurrection.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 July 2025
Adjective
  • At each stage, participants played the computer game and completed self-report questionnaires that measured their gaming strategy, cognitive flexibility, habitual tendencies, and alcohol use.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 July 2025
  • This habitual house of filth can be found under Y & C Restaurant and, with this record, the owners should want inspection details hidden under a different name.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 21 July 2025
Adjective
  • Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Walczak has been an inveterate tax scofflaw since at least 2011.
    Christopher Hale, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
  • An inveterate traveler who had explored 60-plus countries and often incorporated historical art and cultural references into her designs, McFadden died in September at the age of 85.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Unlike regular conditioners, which often focus solely on moisture, these formulas are designed to boost volume, strengthen strands, and improve the look of thinning hair.
    Malia Griggs, Glamour, 15 July 2025
  • Try adding kamut berries (grains) to soups, stews, and salads, or using kamut flour in place of regular wheat flour in baked goods.
    Caroline Tien, SELF, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • At a two-day meeting that concludes Wednesday, the Fed is widely expected to hold its key interest rate steady despite President Donald Trump’s monthslong campaign aimed at browbeating Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues into cutting rates.
    Paul Davidson, USA Today, 28 July 2025
  • The Federal Reserve is set to conclude its fifth interest rate meeting since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, with policymakers expected to hold rates steady once again.
    Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 27 July 2025
Adjective
  • Beneath its surface were deep, dark scars—grooves cut through the rock by old lava flows, now overgrown with stubborn green.
    Tess Moormans, Travel + Leisure, 27 July 2025
  • The fizzing reaction can help remove stubborn residues.
    Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 27 July 2025
Adjective
  • In terms of the opioid epidemic, law enforcement thinks that Mexican cartels are the problem, addiction physicians think that the addicted brain is the problem, and harm reduction activists think that the criminalization of drugs is the problem.
    Melody Glenn July 23, Literary Hub, 23 July 2025
  • During his childhood, he was isolated and bullied and eventually became addicted to heroin and struggled with his weight.
    Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 20 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chronic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chronic. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on chronic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!