patient

American  

[pey-shuhnt] / ˈpeɪ ʃənt /

noun

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 (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

• overpatient adjective
• patientless adjective
• patiently adverb
• patientness noun
• quasi-patient adjective
• quasi-patiently adverb
• superpatient adjective
• superpatiently adverb
• unpatient adjective
• unpatiently adverb

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”; -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

Looking back to previous walkouts they suggest that far from the predicted chaos, there were shorter patient waits, faster decisions and calmer corridors.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

The original Berlin patient, Timothy Ray Brown, was the first person declared cured of HIV back in 2008.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Unlike the patient Silent Generation, boomers had high expectations and used their sheer numbers as well as financial and political clout to make them happen, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

"It's still early days and these findings need to be confirmed in other patient groups, but they offer important insight into how obesity may affect men and women differently," said Pekel.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

The injury to Booth’s leg had caused the tissue to swell up and create a seal that could not be broken without inflicting agony upon the patient and possibly worsening the injury.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

Related Words

• calm
• forgiving
• gentle
• quiet
• tolerant