patient

American  

[pey-shuhnt] / ˈpeɪ ʃənt /

noun

• patients
  plural

1. a person who is under medical care or treatment.

   Synonyms:

   invalid

2. a person or thing that undergoes some action.

3. Archaic. a sufferer or victim.

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adjective

1. bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   calm, passive, resigned, long-suffering, uncomplaining

   Antonyms:

   hostile

2. characterized by or expressing such a quality.

   a patient smile.

   Synonyms:

   composed, self-possessed, unexcited, unruffled, serene, quiet

   Antonyms:

   agitated, impatient

3. quietly and steadily persevering or diligent, especially in detail or exactness.

   a patient worker.

   Synonyms:

   assiduous, sedulous

4. undergoing the action of another (opposed to agent).

idioms

1. patient of,

   1. having or showing the capacity for endurance.

      a man patient of distractions.

   2. susceptible of.

      This statement is patient of criticism.

patient British  

/ ˈpeɪʃənt /

adjective

1. enduring trying circumstances with even temper

2. tolerant; understanding

3. capable of accepting delay with equanimity

4. persevering or diligent

   a patient worker

5. archaic admitting of a certain interpretation

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noun

1. a person who is receiving medical care

2. rare a person or thing that is the recipient of some action

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• patientness
  noun
• overpatient
  adjective
• patientless
  adjective
• quasi-patient
  adjective
• superpatient
  adjective
• unpatient
  adjective
• patiently
  adverb
• quasi-patiently
  adverb
• superpatiently
  adverb
• unpatiently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• patients
  plural

Etymology

Origin of patient

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English adjective and noun pacient, from Middle French, from Latin patient-, stem of patiēns, present participle of patī “to undergo, suffer, bear”; see -ent

Explanation

You are patient if you don't get frustrated or annoyed when you have to wait or deal with difficulties. The band director may show patient leadership, but a football coach uses other methods with his team. It may be difficult to wait for something that takes a long time or deal with someone who is annoying, but if you are patient, you endure these things calmly and without frustration. Endure is the keyword here as patient comes from the Latin verb pati "to suffer, endure." Think of the patient way a chess player wins a game — calmly, steadily and willing to wait for the right time to act.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

patient patients

This could be because women are more patient and risk averse, says Joanna Floyd, business psychologist at London-based The Work Psychologists.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Some solutions that can reduce discomfort include allowing the patient to choose the music playing during a scan or procedure, and determining the pace at which a procedure takes place.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

They plan to examine additional patient groups in future analyses, including people with chronic kidney disease and peripheral artery disease.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

U.S. officials said Trump is patient and expected to ride out the latest diplomatic snarl, especially so long as gas prices remain where they are.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

It is a “cross-section of the all the world’s races and nationalities,” as patient Stanley Stein describes it.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

We also can say it of cystic fibrosis, a once-fatal illness that a pill called Trikafta has made manageable for most patients.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

"The reforms we are introducing will give patients a stronger, clearer voice at the heart of health and social care."

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Those rules for insurers, patients, doctors and manufacturers prevent ruinous costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Researchers also examined tumor samples from patients with lung cancer.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

Although the patients at Tala are segregated from the rest of society and aren’t allowed to leave, Joey is visited by her Jesuit friends.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• calm
• forgiving
• gentle
• quiet
• tolerant