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
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
Elizabeth Scott
chronically
adverb
She is chronically ill.
people who are chronically late
The schools are chronically short of funds.
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
Some of the schools that need the most help, those in and near 53206 where scores of families have departed and staff vacancies are chronic, are up for potential closure because of low enrollment.
—Rory Linnane, jsonline.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The state’s rural residents with chronic conditions have a higher mortality rate than those living in urban areas, and rural parts of the state face a severe shortage of health care professionals.
—Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 30 Dec. 2025
Semaglutide is also cleared by regulators to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in overweight people with cardiovascular disease, as well as to treat chronic kidney disease in diabetes patients.
—Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2025
And as relief from one of the greatest curses imaginable – chronic pain – the neuro-key may offer pain modulation without the expense, side effects, and addiction risk of opioids and systemic drugs.
—New Atlas, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chronic
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Rory Linnane, jsonline.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The state’s rural residents with chronic conditions have a higher mortality rate than those living in urban areas, and rural parts of the state face a severe shortage of health care professionals.
—Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 30 Dec. 2025
Semaglutide is also cleared by regulators to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in overweight people with cardiovascular disease, as well as to treat chronic kidney disease in diabetes patients.
—Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2025
And as relief from one of the greatest curses imaginable – chronic pain – the neuro-key may offer pain modulation without the expense, side effects, and addiction risk of opioids and systemic drugs.
—New Atlas, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chronic
Cite this Entry
“Chronic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chronic. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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
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
chronic
2 of 2 noun
: one that suffers from a chronic disease
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