(of a disease 疾病 lasting for a long time; difficult to cure 長期的；慢性的；難以治愈（或根除）的 chronic bronchitis/arthritis/asthma 慢性支氣管炎／關節炎／哮喘
having had a disease for a long time 長期患病的 a chronic alcoholic/depressive 慢性酒精中毒者；長期抑鬱症患者
(of a problem 問題 lasting a long time; difficult to solve 持續很長時間的；難以解決 the country’s chronic unemployment problem 該國長期存在的失業問題 a chronic shortage of housing in rural areas 農村地區住房的長期匮乏
- (British English, informal)
very bad 糟透的；拙劣的
Word Originlate Middle English: from French chronique, via Latin from Greek khronikos ‘of time’, from khronos ‘time’.