Chronic coughing goes on and on; chronic lateness occurs day after day; chronic lameness never seems to get any better. Unfortunately, situations that we call chronic almost always seem to be unpleasant. We never hear about chronic peace, but we do hear about chronic warfare. And we never speak of chronic health, only of chronic illness.
inveterate applies to a habit, attitude, or feeling of such long existence as to be practically ineradicable or unalterable.
an inveterate smoker
confirmed implies a growing stronger and firmer with time so as to resist change or reform.
a confirmed bachelor
chronic suggests something that is persistent or endlessly recurrent and troublesome.
a chronic complainer
Example Sentences
He suffers from chronic arthritis. a chronic need for attention Inflation has become a chronic condition in the economy. Don't bother seeing that film—it's chronic.
Recent Examples on the WebAnd the same survey has not revealed any uptick in most health conditions, including asthma episodes, high blood pressure, and chronic pain—which might be expected if America were getting sicker. Tim Requarth, The Atlantic, 29 Aug. 2022 Witvliet still endures chronic pain, fatigue and neurological issues, including short-term memory loss. Claretta Bellamy, NBC News, 28 Aug. 2022 Spain is one of four European countries that allow patients with incurable diseases or chronic pain to be euthanized, along with Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Marina Lopes, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2022 Nightmares in dogs can be triggered by noises or chronic pain, Wag! Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 21 Aug. 2022 The assault on multiple organ systems left her with diabetes, brain fog and chronic pain. Marla Broadfoot, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Aug. 2022 Cannabis—also known as marijuana, ganja, weed, mary jane, among other names—is used in many countries, including most of the U.S., to treat conditions such as chronic pain and to ease some side effects of chemotherapy. Feliz Solomon, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 In some studies, opioid use declined when medical cannabis was available to control chronic pain. Carolyn Rosenblatt, Forbes, 18 Aug. 2022 Cruciani, whose medical practice focused on chronic pain, was found in the shower area of the New York City jail facility with a sheet around his neck, The New York Times reported. Ronn Blitzer, Fox News, 15 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from French chronique, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Late Latin chronicus, going back to Latin, "written in the form of annals," borrowed from Greek chronikós "of time, temporal, in order by time," from chrónos "time" + -ikos-ic entry 1 — more at chrono-
Note: Latin chronicus was used by medical writers (as Caelius Aurelianus, ca. early 5th century a.d.) to translate Greek chrónios "occurring again and again," used by Greek medical writers, though Greek chronikós, the source of chronicus, lacks this sense.