impatience
Americannoun
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lack of patience.
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eager desire for relief or change; restlessness.
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intolerance of anything that thwarts, delays, or hinders.
noun
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lack of patience; intolerance of or irritability with anything that impedes or delays
-
restless desire for change and excitement
Etymology
Origin of impatience
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English impacience, from Latin impatientia; see im- 2, patience
Explanation
Impatience is the tendency to be irritable or easily frustrated. A bus driver's impatience often results in her yelling, honking her horn, and gesturing angrily at other drivers. If you are easily annoyed or provoked, your impatience is showing. Impatience is also why you hate being late, or having to wait for something or someone. It comes from patience, the habit or trait of being able to wait calmly or even tolerate discomfort without complaining. The "opposite of" prefix im- tells you that impatience is the complete opposite.
Vocabulary lists containing impatience
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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Selection Vocabulary 5, Unit 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They outlasted the Prince of Impatience, and he moved on.
From Salon • May 14, 2025
My fear faded quickly: Impatience, it turns out, is an antidote to fear, and my hosts spent an unfathomably long time processing my arrival.
From Slate • Apr. 27, 2025
Impatience was rising there among about 126,000 customers two days after the electricity first went out, which for many also meant no heat.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 3, 2023
"Impatience is growing with member states," they said.
From Reuters • Oct. 16, 2022
“Ackkk, a wonderful, miserable age. Not a boy, not a teenager. Impatience but timidity too. Emotional incontinence.”
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
