impatient

American  

[im-pey-shuhnt] / ɪmˈpeɪ ʃənt /

adjective

1. not patient; not accepting delay, opposition, pain, etc., with calm or patience.

   Synonyms:

   abrupt, brusque, curt, hot, violent, fretful, testy, irritable, unquiet, uneasy

   Antonyms:

   calm

2. indicating lack of patience.

   an impatient answer.

   Synonyms:

   abrupt, brusque, curt, hot, violent, fretful, testy, irritable

3. restless in desire or expectation; eagerly desirous.

   Synonyms:

   hasty, sudden, precipitate, impetuous

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idioms

1. impatient of, intolerant of.

   impatient of any interruptions.

impatient British  

/ ɪmˈpeɪʃənt /

adjective

1. lacking patience; easily irritated at delay, opposition, etc

2. exhibiting lack of patience

   an impatient retort

3. intolerant (of) or indignant (at)

   impatient of indecision

4. restlessly eager (for something or to do something)

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Usage

What does impatient mean? Impatient means not accepting delays or obstacles with restraint and self-control, as in Fans were so impatient for the next book in the series that they overwhelmed the author with messages on Twitter. Someone who is impatient is generally not happy with having to wait. You might be impatient for your vacation to come, thinking about your vacation all the time and becoming irritable because it’s not vacation time yet. A driver might be impatient about being stuck in traffic, blowing their horn repeatedly to show their impatience. Impatient can be used figuratively to describe events that happen quickly. For example, an impatient winter might describe a time in the autumn when the temperature drops quickly, implying that the winter season was too impatient to wait until its proper time to come. Impatient is sometimes used in the idiom impatient of, meaning intolerant of. For example, someone who is generally kind and patient may be impatient of lying. If they’re lied to, they may become irritable and argumentative with the person telling the lie. Impatient of is normally used in situations in which someone is drawing contrast to their tolerance of other things by highlighting their impatience of something. Example: I’ve had so much work lately, but my boss is still impatient about my handing in work on time.

Other Word Forms

• impatiently adverb
• impatientness noun
• unimpatient adjective
• unimpatiently adverb

Etymology

Origin of impatient

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English impacient, from Latin impatient-, stem of impatiēns “not enduring, not tolerating”; equivalent to im- ² + patient

Explanation

If you are impatient, you don’t like to wait. Do you have a hard time teaching children new skills? Do you grab the shoe and tie it yourself? You’re impatient. Pent-up, antsy, restless, short-tempered, constantly checking the time — these are qualities and behaviors of an impatient person. Patient comes from the Latin word patientem, meaning "to endure," but add the prefix im-, and you get impatient — the inability to endure delays, mix-ups, people walking slowly, red lights...

Example Sentences

“He is impatient to make progress,” Vance said this week of the president.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

I liked it and was impatient with it in equal measure, the way a teacher feels about a lazy, gifted child.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

That first year, though, I had many moments with my boss where he seemed impatient with me for not catching on quickly.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

Sir Keir said: "Incumbent governments quite often get results like that mid-term, but I do understand that voters are frustrated. They're impatient for change."

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

As I stood with her on the platform—she impatient, tapping her foot, leaning forward to look down the tracks—it seemed more than I could bear to see her go.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• anxious
• eager
• irritable
• keen
• restless
• testy
• thirsty