You can describe someone's bad habits or behaviour as chronic when they have behaved like that for a long time and do not seem to be able to stop themselves.
Anyone who does not believe that smoking is an addiction has never been a chronicsmoker.
...a chronic worrier.
3. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A chronic situation or problem is very severe and unpleasant.
One cause of the artist's suicide seems to have been chronic poverty.
There is a chronic shortage of patrol cars in this police district.
Synonyms: serious, dangerous, acute, alarming More Synonyms of chronic
chronicallyadverb [ADVERB adjective/-ed]
Research and technology are said to be chronically underfunded.
More Synonyms of chronic
chronic in British English
(ˈkrɒnɪk)
adjective
1.
continuing for a long time; constantly recurring
2.
(of a disease) developing slowly, or of long duration
Compare acute (sense 7)
3.
inveterate; habitual
a chronic smoker
4. informal
a.
very bad
the play was chronic
b.
very serious
a chronic state of disrepair
Derived forms
chronically (ˈchronically)
adverb
chronicity (krɒˈnɪsɪtɪ)
noun
Word origin
C15: from Latin chronicus relating to time, from Greek khronikos, from khronos time
chronic in American English
(ˈkrɑnɪk)
adjective
1.
lasting a long time or recurring often
see also acute
2.
having had an ailment for a long time
a chronic patient
3.
continuing indefinitely; perpetual; constant
a chronic worry
4.
by habit, custom, etc.; habitual; inveterate
a chronic complainer
noun
5.
a chronic patient
SYNONYMY NOTE: chronic suggests long duration or frequent recurrence and is used especially of diseasesor habits that resist all efforts to eradicate them [chronic sinusitis]; inveterate implies firm establishment as a result of continued indulgence over a long periodof time [an inveterate liar]; confirmed suggests fixedness in some condition or practice, often from a deep-seated aversionto change [a confirmed bachelor]; hardened implies fixed tendencies and a callous indifference to emotional or moral considerations[a hardened criminal]
Derived forms
chronically (ˈchronically)
adverb
chronicity (chroˈnicity) (krəˈnɪsəti)
noun
Word origin
Fr cronique < L chronicus < Gr chronikos, of time < chronos, time
Examples of 'chronic' in a sentence
chronic
Loneliness is at once a chronic social ill and a sign of our success.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Could chronic back pain be cured with a simple course of antibiotics?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The individuals with certain chronic diseases who lived the longest were the fattest.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This growth was driven by a chronic shortage of homes for sale.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
For chronic conditions take three times a day between meals until you feel relief.
Westcott, Patsy Alternative Health Care for Women (1991)
He had three major operations to treat chronic lung disease.
The Sun (2011)
The country faces a crumbling economy and chronic shortages.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Chronic diseases and the flow from social care have the potential to bankrupt the service.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It typically causes a chronic ache at the inner elbow and can lead to a weakened grip.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Chronic stress can cause chronic loose bowels and may be a major problem.
Wallace, Louise M & Bundy, Christine Coping with Angina (1990)
All five victims were frail with chronic medical conditions who had been admitted to hospital after suffering hip fractures.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He underwent surgery after a heart attack three years ago and has a chronic back condition from a polo injury.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
People who have suffered acute and chronic anxiety conditions have been to the darkest and most terrifying places in their minds.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
One was his chronic bad health.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The chronic shortage in the capital is depriving thousands of young workers of the opportunity to have a place of their own.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The chronic pain from back surgery has lifted, but she still suffers from spinal arthritis.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Meditation eases chronic lower back pain, a study suggests.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There was a chronic shortage of staff, particularly nurses and a tolerance of poor standards.
The Sun (2013)
A person with a chronic disease or terminal illness gets support from those around them.
Christianity Today (2000)
A chronic shortage of engineers is further hampering the industry.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The drugs giant cleared the first regulatory hurdle to selling its new treatment for chronic lung disease in America.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Chronic back pain can be soul-destroying.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
LAST time we encountered the eccentric but endearing Texan he had chronic back pain.
The Sun (2008)
In other languages
chronic
British English: chronic /ˈkrɒnɪk/ ADJECTIVE
A chronic illness lasts for a very long time.
...chronic depression.
American English: chronic
Arabic: مُزْمِن
Brazilian Portuguese: crônico
Chinese: 慢性的
Croatian: kroničan
Czech: chronický
Danish: kronisk
Dutch: chronisch
European Spanish: crónico
Finnish: krooninen
French: chronique
German: chronisch
Greek: χρόνιος
Italian: cronico
Japanese: 慢性の
Korean: 만성의
Norwegian: kronisk
Polish: przewlekły
European Portuguese: crónico
Romanian: cronic
Russian: хронический
Latin American Spanish: crónico
Swedish: kronisk
Thai: เรื้อรัง
Turkish: kronik
Ukrainian: хронічний
Vietnamese: kinh niên
All related terms of 'chronic'
chronic pain
Pain is the feeling of great discomfort you have, for example when you have been hurt or when you are ill .
chronic failure
If something is a failure , it is not a success .
chronic illness
Illness is the fact or experience of being ill .
chronic poverty
Poverty is the state of being extremely poor .
chronic problem
A problem is a situation that is unsatisfactory and causes difficulties for people.
chronic shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
chronic lack of
If there is a lack of something, there is not enough of it or it does not exist at all.
chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome is an illness that is thought to be caused by a virus , and which affects people for a long period of time. Its symptoms include tiredness and aching muscles . The abbreviation → CFS is often used.
chronic wasting disease
a disease found among members of the deer family, a type of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
any of various lung diseases leading to poor pulmonary aeration, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis
CFS
CFS is an abbreviation for → chronic fatigue syndrome .
myalgic encephalomyelitis
a condition characterized by painful muscles , extreme fatigue , and general debility , sometimes occurring as a sequel to viral illness
myalgic encephalopathy
a condition characterized by painful muscles, extreme fatigue , and general debility , sometimes occurring as a sequel to viral illness
postviral fatigue syndrome
a condition characterized by painful muscles, extreme fatigue , and general debility , sometimes occurring as a sequel to viral illness