Chronic Meaning
/ˈkɹɒn.ɪk/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf a problem, that continues over an extended period of time.
adjProlonged or slow to heal.
Sentence Examples
I have a chronic pain here.
My conjunctivitis is chronic.
There is a chronic oversupply of rice in Japan.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her ____ cough lasted for months and required a chest X-ray to diagnose.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The patient suffers from ____ back pain that requires daily medical treatment.
Word Origin & History
From chronical, from Old French cronike, from Latin chronicus, from Ancient Greek χρονικός (khronikós, “of time”), from χρόνος (khrónos, “time”). By surface analysis, chron- + -ic.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Peer group support is important to displaced homemakers. The Displaced Homemakers' Network has done excellent work in helping women see that their problems do not have to be chronic."
— 1980, Ruth Harriet Jacobs, Integrating Displaced Homemakers into the Economy, page 14:
"It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face."
— 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 8, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
"Chronic mismanagement in the dugout and in the boardroom has meant the scale of the job now is as big as it has ever been."
— 2018 May 4, Tom English, “Steven Gerrard: A 'seriously clever or recklessly stupid' Rangers appointment”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 13 Apr 2021:
"These concerns were shared by other SNP women who told the Guardian there was a chronic lack of support from the party, including for those with younger families."
— 2025 March 23, Libby Brooks and Severin Carrell, “‘Hostile environment’ drives many of SNP’s female MSPs to step down before 2026 vote”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 28 Mar 2025:
"So dreadful was the concentration of his glare that it seemed as if it must become chronic and stay like that for ever."
— 1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 117:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her ____ cough lasted for months and required a chest X-ray to diagnose.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The patient suffers from ____ back pain that requires daily medical treatment.