as in persistent
being such by habit and not likely to change
a chronic smoker who has quit—many, many times
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
In a review of electronic medical records, thousands of adults who had chronic insomnia and took melatonin for a year or longer had a 90% higher chance of heart failure over the next five years, compared with participants who had the same health factors but didn’t take melatonin.
—
Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Exercise can boost your mood and help reduce feelings of stress and depression, which are often linked with chronic pain.
—Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2025
Both have dealt with eczema, with Tori experiencing flare-ups while Stella deals with chronic eczema and seborrheic dermatitis.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
People use it recreationally (a practice that is legal in several states) and therapeutically as a treatment for anxiety, depression, insomnia, or chronic pain.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chronic
Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Exercise can boost your mood and help reduce feelings of stress and depression, which are often linked with chronic pain.
—Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2025
Both have dealt with eczema, with Tori experiencing flare-ups while Stella deals with chronic eczema and seborrheic dermatitis.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
People use it recreationally (a practice that is legal in several states) and therapeutically as a treatment for anxiety, depression, insomnia, or chronic pain.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chronic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chronic
Adjective
-
Besides the fragility of household budgets, these persistent financial pressures reveal the critical role that financial knowledge plays in helping individuals adapt, plan, and protect themselves against volatility.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
LogoPowered byScale logo At least 114 people have died and 127 remain missing in central Philippines after a typhoon caused destruction and widespread flooding, which local officials suggest could have been prevented if not for persistent graft in flood-control projects.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The story follows three addicts who, after their best friend’s overdose, join a secluded mountain sober house to get clean — only to discover the program’s most committed attendee is a recovering serial killer who’s relapsing in his own way.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Within hours, Wuornos sat down for the confession that would seal her fate and make her one of America’s most infamous female serial killers.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Bennett has faced several charges in recent years, including communicating threats, domestic violence, and habitual larceny.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But the world had ended up there by passing through an unbroken series of decisions not to cut emissions and to do something else instead; and this practice had become so habitual and systemic as to threaten to determine the next phase too.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The La Mancha manor home’s namesake, Josie, (real name is José Fernández-Pacheco) is an inveterate aesthete who is best known to Spanish television audiences as a presenter extraordinaire.—
Maite Sebastiá,
Architectural Digest,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Unless just being an inveterate people-pleaser produces the same result.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
McCutcheon, who scored four goals in the regular season, seems to shift into a second gear during the playoffs, having now scored three times in four postseason games.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Managing fatigue and high blood pressure involves lifestyle changes like eating a balanced diet, staying active, and getting regular checkups.—
Alexandria Nyembwe,
Health,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Over the past half century, one of the fundamentals of American life has been the steady relocation of people—and of the country’s center of gravity—to the Sun Belt.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The technology could one day provide steady, long-lasting power for faster and more flexible deep-space missions, including Mars travel.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
That tone—of pain, of surprise, of a stubborn refusal to be reduced or diminished—is everywhere in it.—
Questlove,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
-
If the stain is stubborn, add a few drops of dish soap to the water and vinegar mixture.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In filing the suit, the city was following the lead of Norma Nazario, who, in 2024, sued TikTok and Meta for the wrongful death of her fifteen-year-old son, Zackery, who died surfing, claiming that algorithms encouraged her son to become addicted to the act.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
8 Nov. 2025
-
While losing friends and job offers in the wake of the scandal, Griffin fell into a deep depression and became addicted to OxyContin and benzodiazepines.—
Brianne Tracy,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chronic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chronic. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share