chronic

Etymology

From chronical, from Old French cronike, from Latin chronicus, from Ancient Greek χρονικός (khronikós, “of time”), from χρόνος (khrónos, “time”).

adj

1. Of a problem, that continues over an extended period of time.
   chronic unemployment; chronic poverty; chronic anger; chronic life
   Peer group support is important to displaced homemakers. The Displaced Homemakers' Network has done excellent work in helping women see that their problems do not have to be chronic. 1980, Ruth Harriet Jacobs, Integrating Displaced Homemakers into the Economy, page 14
   It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face. 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 8, in The China Governess
   Chronic mismanagement in the dugout and in the boardroom has meant the scale of the job now is as big as it has ever been. May 4, 2018, Tom English, “Steven Gerrard: A 'seriously clever or recklessly stupid' Rangers appointment”, in BBC Sport
2. (medicine) Prolonged or slow to heal.
   chronic cough; chronic headache; chronic illness
3. Of a person, suffering from an affliction that is prolonged or slow to heal.
   Chronic patients must learn to live with their condition.
4. Inveterate or habitual.
   He's a chronic smoker.
5. (slang) Very bad, awful.
   That concert was chronic.
6. (informal) Extremely serious.
   They left him in a chronic condition.
7. (slang) Good, great; "wicked".
   That was cool, chronic in fact.

noun

1. (slang) Marijuana, typically of high quality.
2. (medicine) A condition of extended duration, either continuous or marked by frequent recurrence. Sometimes implies a condition which worsens with each recurrence, though that is not inherent in the term.
3. A person who is chronic, such as a criminal reoffender or a person with chronic disease.
   Wernersvill asylum is now practically filled, and, as it is peopled with able-bodied chronics, there will be but little annual movement of patients. 1895, Report of the Committee on Lunacy to the Board of Public Charities of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, page 9
   And then there were the chronics, not only those with marked pathology but life-long sufferers from "indigestion" or migraine, who had been passed around from doctor to doctor with nothing but temporary relief. 2001, Elizabeth Wright, A Brief Study Course in Homoeopathy, page 79
   Of fifty-five boys scoring four or more, fifteen were chronic offenders (out of twenty-three chronics altogether) […] 2003, Philip Bean, Crime: Critical Concepts in Sociology, page 376
   Most congregations are full of wonderful people, but these chronics are also present in many churches. They come in three varieties -- the chronic havers of personal problems, the chronic complainers, and the chronic workaholics. 2003, Lawrence W. Farris, Ten Commandments for Pastors New to a Congregation, page 59
   An Italian study (Francescato et al. 1979), which compared 137 women who had had more than one abortion with others who had aborted only once, revealed that the use of contraceptives was higher among the 'chronics', and that the contraceptives they employed were generally safer. 2006, Eva Pattis Zoja, Abortion: Loss and Renewal in the Search for Identity, page 18