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.
Synonyms
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
Acute hives typically resolve without intervention in a matter of days, whereas chronic hives last longer.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 6 Feb. 2025
The Kansas City area has the highest percentage of people experiencing chronic homelessness living outside without shelter of any major U.S. city, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2025
America has a chronic shortage of homes, and many experts say building houses is the key to easing costs.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 4 Feb. 2025
Between the lines: Lawmakers have been discussing chronic absenteeism for the last several years after a report showed that nearly one-quarter of Hoosier kids were chronically absent from school.
—Arika Herron, Axios, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for chronic 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Mark Gurarie, Health, 6 Feb. 2025
The Kansas City area has the highest percentage of people experiencing chronic homelessness living outside without shelter of any major U.S. city, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2025
America has a chronic shortage of homes, and many experts say building houses is the key to easing costs.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 4 Feb. 2025
Between the lines: Lawmakers have been discussing chronic absenteeism for the last several years after a report showed that nearly one-quarter of Hoosier kids were chronically absent from school.
—Arika Herron, Axios, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for chronic
Dictionary Entries Near chronic
Cite this Entry
“Chronic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chronic. Accessed 11 Feb. 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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