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

Investors are waiting to hear how Fed Chair Kevin Warsh reconciles his patient approach to rate policy with his backing of the 2% target.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Daraxonrasib, the pill touted by a former member of Congress and cancer patient as a ‘miracle drug,’ has been granted approval in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

A female passenger was seriously hurt and was also taken to hospital, along with another patient whose injuries were not believed to be serious.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

"Because the crowns can be custom-printed for each patient on the same day, this approach offers greater personalization, faster treatment and the convenience of receiving a permanent restoration in a single visit."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

Nhamo was so exhausted she could hardly move, what with running from one patient to the next.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

She said the situation was a "bad deal for patients and taxpayers" and there was a risk the whole system would fall into "chaos".

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

The NHS Alliance, which represents health managers, says the current system represents a "bad deal" for patients and taxpayers alike.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

In a 500-person study, patients on the drug lived a median of 13.2 months—nearly double the time those on standard chemotherapy survived.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Making things worse, because of low physician reimbursement rates, Medicaid patients struggle to get appointments with specialists to be diagnosed in the first place.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

The patients who come to the Damasios' clinic are not victims of blasting accidents.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Related Words

• calm
• forgiving
• gentle
• quiet
• tolerant