patience

¹ American  

[pey-shuhns] / ˈpeɪ ʃəns /

noun

1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   sufferance, submissiveness, self-possession, stability, composure

2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay.

   to have patience with a slow learner.

3. quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence.

   to work with patience.

   Synonyms:

   assiduity, persistence, indefatigability

4. Cards (chiefly British). solitaire.

5. Also called patience dock.  a European dock, Rumex patientia, of the buckwheat family, whose leaves are often used as a vegetable.

6. Obsolete. leave; permission; sufference.

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Patience ² American  

[pey-shuhns] / ˈpeɪ ʃəns /

noun

1. a female given name.

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patience British  

/ ˈpeɪʃəns /

noun

1. tolerant and even-tempered perseverance

2. the capacity for calmly enduring pain, trying situations, etc

3. US equivalent: solitaire.  any of various card games for one player only, in which the cards may be laid out in various combinations as the player tries to use up the whole pack

4. obsolete permission; sufferance

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patience Idioms  

1. see try one's patience.

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Related Words

Patience, endurance, fortitude, stoicism imply qualities of calmness, stability, and persistent courage in trying circumstances. Patience may denote calm, self-possessed, and unrepining bearing of pain, misfortune, annoyance, or delay; or painstaking and untiring industry or (less often) application in the doing of somehing: to bear afflictions with patience. Endurance denotes the ability to bear exertion, hardship, or suffering (without implication of moral qualities required or shown): Running in a marathon requires great endurance. Fortitude implies not only patience but courage and strength of character in the midst of pain, affliction, or hardship: to show fortitude in adversity. Stoicism is calm fortitude, with such repression of emotion as to seem almost like indifference to pleasure or pain: The American Indians were noted for stoicism under torture.

Other Word Forms

• superpatience noun

Etymology

Origin of patience

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English pacience, from Old French, from Latin patientia. See patient, -ence

Example Sentences

Here, she pulls back, letting Levy embody his character and work his way toward the jokes with complete patience.

From Salon

Compounding these challenges, as a people, Americans have very short memories — and even less patience.

From Salon

And, in an unexpected twist, war had turned Olka, a woman who once had no patience for fashion, glamorous.

From Literature

And while the league had initially shown some understanding, patience among other owners and NFL brass had run out well before this season’s Super Bowl run.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The essential difference between us and the Iranians is we like quick results, and the Iranians have great patience," he said.

From BBC

Related Words

• composure
• diligence
• endurance
• fortitude
• grit
• humility
• moderation
• perseverance
• persistence
• poise
• restraint
• self-control
• tolerance