Here is a clear patience definition, the simplest definition of patience we can give: the ability to wait, or to deal with delay, trouble or annoying people, without becoming angry or upset. Standing in a long queue without complaining takes patience. So does teaching a child to tie shoelaces for the tenth time.
Patience is usually seen as a strength of character, praised in families, schools, workplaces and many religious traditions. Being patient does not mean sitting idle; a patient person often keeps working steadily while waiting for results.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
Calm tolerance of waiting, delay or difficultyPart of speech
Noun (uncountable)Pronunciation
PAY-shuhns (sounds the same as patients)Word forms
patient (adjective), patiently (adverb), impatience, impatientOrigin
Latin patientia, from pati, to suffer or endureOpposite
impatience, restlessness, irritabilityRegister
Neutral; everyday and formal
The patience definition in everyday terms
The patience meaning covers a few distinct situations, and to define patience fully you need each one:
- Waiting calmly. For a bus, an exam result, a slow website, a recovery after illness.
- Tolerating people. Staying kind with a toddler, a confused customer or a colleague who asks the same question every day.
- Sticking with slow work. Learning an instrument, saving money or building a garden where results take months or years.
- Bearing hardship. Enduring pain, loss or bad luck without bitterness. This is the oldest sense of the word.
In British English, patience names a card game for one player, which Americans usually call solitaire.
Patience in sentences
- Thank you for your patience while we fix the network problem.
- Bread making takes patience: the dough needs hours to rise.
- After forty minutes on hold, I was running out of patience.
- Her patience with new trainees makes her the most requested mentor in the office.
- Growing a mango tree from seed is a lesson in patience, since it can be years before any fruit.
Your elderly neighbor asks you to help with a new phone. She forgets each step and asks again. You smile, explain it slowly once more and write the steps on a card for her.
That is patience: you stay calm and kind when frustration would be easy.
Lose patience, try patience: common phrases
Patience is uncountable, so you do not say a patience or patiences. Common pairings:
- have patience, show patience, need patience
- lose patience (with someone), run out of patience, try someone's patience (test it)
- the patience of a saint: very great patience
- patience is a virtue: an old proverb that waiting calmly is good
- thank you for your patience: a polite line in service and business messages
The adjective is patient (a patient teacher, be patient with him) and the adverb is patiently (she waited patiently).
Patience vs patients: a sound-alike trap
Patience (the quality) and patients (people receiving medical care) sound identical: PAY-shuhns. Spell checkers will not catch the swap, because both are real words.
- The nurse showed great patience with her patients.
- The clinic sees forty patients a day.
The two words are related. A medical patient was originally someone who suffers or endures, which is exactly what the shared Latin root means.
Origin: the Latin root of enduring
English borrowed patience from Old French around the thirteenth century; behind it sits Latin patientia, from the verb pati, to suffer, endure or undergo. Early English uses stressed bearing pain or trouble quietly. Over time the meaning widened to include ordinary waiting and tolerance. The same root gives patient, passion (originally suffering) and passive.
Patience, perseverance and forbearance
| Word | Focus |
|---|---|
| patience | calm waiting and tolerance |
| perseverance | continuing to try despite setbacks |
| forbearance | holding back from anger or punishment |
| tenacity | holding on to a goal stubbornly |
| tolerance | accepting what you dislike |
Patience is calm; perseverance and tenacity are more active. Many people need all three. Patience is often listed as a virtue in Christian teaching and is valued in Islamic, Buddhist and Jewish thought as well, each tradition describing it in its own terms. Many more character words, from humble to stubborn, can be browsed among our words for people and feelings, grouped by mood.
Frequently asked questions
What is patience in simple words?
Patience is staying calm while you wait or while something is hard or annoying. A patient person does not rush, snap or give up quickly.
Which word means the opposite of patience?
Impatience is the direct opposite. Someone impatient gets restless or irritated quickly when things are slow.
Can patience be learned, or are you born with it?
A bit of each. Some people are naturally calmer, but patience can be practiced, for example by pausing before reacting, breaking long tasks into steps and expecting delays.
What is the difference between patience and patients?
Patience is the quality of calm waiting. Patients are people who receive medical treatment. Your ear cannot tell them apart, so let the spelling do the work.
What does try my patience mean?
If something tries your patience, it tests how long you can stay calm. A slow queue or a child who keeps interrupting can try anyone's patience.
Why is patience called a virtue?
The saying patience is a virtue reflects a long belief that calm waiting shows self control and good character. Many cultures and religions praise it for that reason.