Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1400-1500
Language: French
Origin: chronique, from Greek chronikos 'of time', from chronos; CHRON-

chronic

 adjective
     
Related topics: Illness and Disability
chron‧ic
1MI a chronic disease or illness is one that continues for a long time and cannot be cured [↪ acute]:
chronic arthritis
chronic asthma
chronic heart disease
2 a chronic problem is one that continues for a long time and cannot easily be solved:
chronic unemployment
There is a chronic shortage of teachers.
3

chronic alcoholic/gambler etc

someone who has behaved in a particular way for a long time and cannot stop:
He was a chronic alcoholic and unable to hold down a job.
a chronic smoker
4 British English informal extremely bad:
The food was absolutely chronic!
—chronically adverb:
patients who are chronically ill
The service is chronically underfunded.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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