CHRONIC Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

chronic

adjective

ˈkrä-nik

Definition of chronic

as in persistent

being such by habit and not likely to change a chronic smoker who has quit—many, many times

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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 The clinic is designed to treat children with acute and chronic pain, including pain caused by sickle cell disease. — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Factors that put people at a higher risk of severe infection include being older than 60, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease and being on immune system suppressing medication. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Many are now aging with multiple chronic conditions, disability, trauma, and ongoing financial precarity. — Jeff Berry, STAT, 21 Aug. 2026 During his lifetime, no book of Twain’s sold as well as quickly, fueling his chronic grievances with publishers. — Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chronic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chronic

Adjective

Why recruiting became political The Pentagon is emerging from the yearslong recruiting slump that followed the COVID-19 pandemic, easing one of the military's most persistent political headaches that drew bipartisan anxiety on Capitol Hill.

— Steven Beynon, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
There is also persistent friction between Arab and Kurdish communities in the northeast of the country, and the government has had to respond to pockets of violence against the religious Alawite minority along Syria’s coast.

— Paula Hancocks, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of persistent

Adjective

While the haunting serial murders are the mainstay within the show, Kay also smartly addresses resentments in the police department between patrol cops and detectives and even officers who turn on each other.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026
The stories of two high schoolers, Jules and Quinn, entwine on May 1, the day a serial killer attacks one of them.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of serial

Adjective

But her kindly and supportive cop boyfriend Nick (Brandon Perea) rightly insists that the duo should perhaps move out of the house when Gemma’s habitual nightmares intensify.

— Tomris Laffly, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
Organizations frequently chase transformation through sweeping initiatives while overlooking subtle changes that disrupt habitual thinking.

— Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of habitual

Adjective

The cast features not just the creator, who makes the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype her own as ukulele troubadour Lulu, but also a pre-Bridgerton Jonathan Bailey in the wild role of an inveterate womanizer.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
In the guest section, apparently at the invitation of one of the liberal Justices, sat Robert De Niro, an inveterate Trump critic.

— Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of inveterate

Adjective

There was an important loan at Clermont Foot in January 2024 as the defender looked for regular playing time.

— Gregg Evans, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
For the first time of their career, brothers Kyle and Corey Seager meet in a regular season game and, fittingly, both hit homers as Corey’s Dodgers defeat Kyle’s Mariners, 11 - 9.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of regular

Adjective

Confirm who pays what, write down the next step, and let clear expectations make home feel steadier.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026
Pohanka said service as a recurring revenue stream is key to keeping dealerships’ business steady even as the car business faces disruptions spanning from tariffs to supply chain issues.

— Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of steady

Adjective

The versatile 5-in-1 scissors tackle everything from opening stubborn packaging to cutting herbs and cracking nuts.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Supporters say soaring demand for electricity for AI data centers and EVs is colliding with California’s push for 100% clean power, leaving a stubborn gap in round-the-clock, low-carbon supply that should be met by nuclear.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of stubborn

Adjective

Coming up from a rough childhood with an absent father and addicted mother, Vanity Fair reported, Shakur combined a love of hip-hop and other performing arts with classical poetry and Shakespeare.

— Andy Rose, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
Now, with one-year mercenary players plus rapid roster turnover, the first game deters even the most addicted sports gambler.

— Mac Engel July 28, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 July 2026

Definition of addicted

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“Chronic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chronic. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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