chronic

KRON-ik

meaning in plain English

Lasting a long time or coming back again and again, hard to get rid of.

Think chronic = keeps coming back — like a chronic cough that never fully leaves.

for example

She has chronic back pain that aches every morning when she wakes up.

If something is chronic, it does not go away quickly. Why does he cough every winter? Because his bronchitis is chronic — it returns year after year.