impatience

[im-pey-shuhns]

noun

1. lack of patience.

2. eager desire for relief or change; restlessness.

3. intolerance of anything that thwarts, delays, or hinders.

impatience

/ ɪmˈpeɪʃəns /

noun

1. lack of patience; intolerance of or irritability with anything that impedes or delays

2. restless desire for change and excitement

Word History and Origins

Origin of impatience¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English impacience, from Latin impatientia; im- ², patience

Example Sentences

My anger and impatience bleed out from me and into the ground.

Read more on Literature

Her impatience had long since turned to fury.

Read more on Literature

Like his sister, he also received praise from his governess, Mrs. Apple, and Miss Mortimer, while the baroness frowned with impatience and Edward Ashton watched in silence.

Read more on Literature

For his exceptionally rapid ascent, Mr. Hoyos credits Scipio’s ready access to funds as well as “self-confidence—not far off arrogance—and impatience with inconvenient convention.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They were stand-ins for mid-1940s moviegoers; more to the point, mirrors, reflecting the full range of audience reactions—love, respect, bewilderment, compassion, impatience, contempt—to the battered men recently restored to their midst.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• anger 
• annoyance 
• anxiety 
• eagerness 
• edginess www.thesaurus.com
• excitement 
• nervousness 
• restlessness 
• uneasiness www.thesaurus.com