chronic
If you smoke a cigarette once, you've simply made a bad choice. But if you're a chronic smoker, you've been smoking for a long time and will have a hard time stopping.
The word chronic is used to describe things that occur over a long period of time and, in fact, comes from the Greek word for time, khronos. If you have chronic asthma, it is a recurring health issue for you. No one likes a chronic liar! A problem that cannot be solved can also be called chronic - think of the chronic food shortages in certain parts of the world.
-
being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering“chronic indigestion”“a chronic shortage of funds”“a chronic invalid”synonyms:degenerative(of illness) marked by gradual deterioration of organs and cells along with loss of function
-
of long duration“chronic money problems”synonyms: continuinglongprimarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
-
habitual“a chronic smoker”synonyms: inveterateusualoccurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing chronic
Learn these essential words that you'll encounter in literature, textbooks, class discussions, and more.
Take the time to learn these words that contain either the Latin root temp or the Greek root chron, both of which mean "time."