chronically

American  

[kron-ik-lee] / ˈkrɒn ɪk li /

adverb

1. happening constantly or habitually.

   Nationally, millions of students are chronically absent every year.

2. happening or recurring over an extended period of time (opposed toacutely ).

   Monitoring is especially helpful for chronically ill patients wishing to avoid costly hospital stays.

   Close to 900 million people worldwide are chronically undernourished.

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Other Word Forms

• nonchronically adverb
• subchronically adverb
• unchronically adverb

Etymology

Origin of chronically

chronic ( def. ) + -ally ( def. )

Example Sentences

This isn't an unusual story – if you're a chronically online woman in your 20s you'll have seen plenty of conversations about hormonal contraceptives like the pill, coil and implant.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Even with his career at its pinnacle and before his back became chronically balky, Woods found his way onto tabloid headlines.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

“We were chronically understaffed for the amount of things we wanted to take on,” McCardel said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

The ego’s constant need to be fortified made us chronically insecure.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

He was handsome and unattractive, a swashbuckling, beefy, conceited man who was putting on fat and was tormented chronically by prolonged seizures of apprehension.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller