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Definition of chronic adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

chronic

adjective
 
 
/ˈkrɒnɪk/
 
/ˈkrɑːnɪk/
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  1.  
    (of a disease) lasting for a long time; difficult to cure
    • chronic bronchitis/arthritis/asthma
    opposite acuteTopics Health problemsc1
  2.  
    having had a disease for a long time
    • a chronic alcoholic/depressive
  3.  
    (of a problem) lasting a long time; difficult to solve
    • the country’s chronic unemployment problem
    • a chronic shortage of housing in rural areas
  4. (British English, informal) very bad
    • The film was just chronic.
    5. Word Originlate Middle English: from French chronique, via Latin from Greek khronikos ‘of time’, from khronos ‘time’.
See chronic in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee chronic in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: chronic

Nearby words

dizzy
adjective
 
 
From the Topic
Health problems
C1
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