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.
An impatience with the notion of impossibility, chafing at all boundaries and limits, straining to peer into the depths of the unknown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Louisiana’s move seems to reflect a mixture of impatience and anxiety.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
As their impatience grows, the window for Odysseus to reclaim his kingdom and restore a crumbling world to Zeus’ law — essentially open-hearted hospitality and treating others as you’d be treated — is closing.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Or you can get riled up with impatience, jealousy and/or dismay with a self-confessed couple who has everything, including $6 million set aside for retirement, and still want advice.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
She looks hurried, though, and her eyes reflect impatience.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
