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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.


Patience 2 American  
[pey-shuhns] / ˈpeɪ ʃəns /

noun

  1. a female given name.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

patience Idioms  

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Czin, currently a fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, said Xi is stripping the high command “down to its studs,” demonstrating a total loss of patience with the military institution itself.

From The Wall Street Journal

Moscow and Kyiv both fear that the unpredictable American leader could hurt them if he loses patience.

From The Wall Street Journal

But if CBS execs lose their patience, it’s conceivable that the network can pull him off the air and use guest hosts until the end of the program’s run.

From Los Angeles Times

"You have some good people who can help and it takes time and patience," she said.

From BBC

Core price growth remains above 2%, wage growth has firmed, and job creation remains positive, readings that together argue for patience in bringing down rates.

From Barron's