Agency Dictionary
Chronic
adjectivePronunciation: /ˈkrɒn.ɪk/
In Portuguese: Crônico
Science & HealthWhat does “Chronic” mean?
Persisting for a long period of time or recurring constantly as a deep habit or condition.
Etymology
From French chronique, from Latin chronicus, from Greek khronikos, "of time, concerning time", from khronos, "time". The word has been used in English medicine since the late Middle Ages for diseases that last a long time, in contrast to acute ones. The extension to habits and problems that persist is later, and informal British English also uses the word to mean very bad.
Usage note
Chronic describes how long a condition lasts, not how serious it is. A chronic illness may be mild, and a severe one may be acute.
Synonyms
- persistent
- long-standing
- lingering
- habitual
- inveterate
- constant
Often confused with
- acute
- An acute condition comes on suddenly and runs a short course; a chronic one develops slowly and lasts.
- chronicle
- A chronicle is a record of events in order of time; it shares the root of chronic but not its meaning.
Word family
- chronically
- chronicity
- chronicle
- chronology
- chronometer
- anachronism
Rhymes with
- tonic
- sonic
- ironic
- iconic
- harmonic
- bionic
- platonic
- laconic
Usage examples
Here’s an even more intriguing question: How far away is society from developing what William Gibson described in his Sprawl trilogy books as “chronic cyberspace addiction”?
Concepts
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Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
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Also from these editions: terms
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