Oxford Dictionary English

    chronic

    adjective
    adjective
    BrE BrE//ˈkrɒnɪk//
    ; NAmE NAmE//ˈkrɑːnɪk//
    Poor health, Being ill
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  1. 1(especially of a disease) lasting for a long time; difficult to cure or get rid of chronic bronchitis/arthritis/asthma the country’s chronic unemployment problem a chronic shortage of housing in rural areas opposite acute See related entries: Poor health, Being ill
  2. 2having had a disease for a long time a chronic alcoholic/depressive
  3. 3(British English, informal) very bad The film was just chronic.
    4.  Word Originlate Middle English: from French chronique, via Latin from Greek khronikos ‘of time’, from khronos ‘time’.
See chronic in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishSee chronic in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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