Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Inveterate: Describes a person who has a long-standing and deeply ingrained habit, usually a negative one, that is very difficult to change or cure. It implies the habit is firmly established over a long period.
   • Chronic / Hard-core: Can describe a deeply rooted and persistent condition, often relating to addiction or a vice.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ta là một tay cờ bạc nặng căn. (He is an inveterate gambler.)
  • Kẻ nghiện rượu nặng căn đó không chịu điều trị. (That chronic alcoholic refuses treatment.)
  • Thói ăn cắp vặt của nó đã nặng căn rồi. (His habit of petty theft is now deeply ingrained.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used to describe negative habits, vices, or addictions (e.g., gambling, drinking, lying). It is rarely, if ever, used for neutral or positive traits.
• It often carries a tone of resignation or judgment, suggesting the behavior is beyond easy remedy.

Variants and Related Words

• Cố tật (n): A chronic defect or bad habit.

  • Hắn có cố tật nói dối. (He has the chronic defect of lying.)

• Nghiện ngập (v/n): To be addicted / addiction.

  • Nghiện ngập là một vấn đề nặng căn. (Addiction is an inveterate problem.)

Synonyms

• Inveterate: (of a habit, feeling, or belief) long-established and unlikely to change.
• Chronic: (of a problem) long-lasting and difficult to eradicate.
• Ingrained: (of a habit, belief, or attitude) firmly fixed or established.

Related Idioms

• Nặng căn nặng nợ: This phrase extends the meaning to suggest being deeply entangled in or burdened by something, as if by fate or karma.
  • Sống trong cờ bạc, hắn đúng là nặng căn nặng nợ. (Living for gambling, he is truly burdened by inveterate habit and debt.)

1. Inveterate