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chronic
In medical contexts, 'chronic' describes a condition that lasts for months or years, as opposed to 'acute,' which refers to a sudden or short-term onset. When used to describe a person's behavior (like a "chronic liar"), it carries a strong negative judgment, suggesting the habit is deeply ingrained and unlikely to change.
💬Casual Conversation
🎬Tuesday afternoon, Sarah is hiding in the breakroom to avoid more tasks.
Jessica
David's asking for those mocks. Is your burnout chronic or just a rough week?
Sarah
Definitely chronic. I'm about to clock out mentally.
💡
Jessica uses 'chronic' to ask if Sarah's exhaustion is a permanent state or temporary. Sarah responds using the same term and the phrasal verb 'clock out', which here means to mentally disengage from work due to fatigue.