Chronically means happening constantly or repeatedly over a long period of time, especially in a way that's hard to fix or change. When doctors say someone is chronically ill, they mean the person has been sick for months or years, with symptoms that persist and resist quick treatment. A student who is chronically late shows up after class starts week after week, making tardiness a regular pattern rather than an occasional slip.

A chronic problem is the opposite of an acute one: acute problems are intense but brief, while chronic ones stick around.

You might hear about someone being chronically tired, meaning they're exhausted day after day, not just sleepy one morning. A town might be chronically short of teachers, struggling to fill positions year after year. The word can suggest frustration because chronic problems resist easy solutions. They require patience, persistence, and sometimes creative thinking to address.