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Which famous American poet wrote "A Noiseless Patient Spider"?

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patient

American  

[pay-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

"It opens the door to treatments that are both effective and easy to deliver, which could significantly improve patient care."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

After the Reggie titles in ‘77 and ‘78, the franchise didn’t win another Series until Admiral Huffenpuff was sidelined with a suspension and patient GM Stick Michael cultivated a young roster.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

When a patient has taken one of these tests, the main thing it tells her is that they’re concerned about their health enough to order and take a test themselves.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

“Better documentation can capture patient complexity that was previously missed. The same tools can also make it easier to identify billable conditions, whether or not those conditions change care,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Was Fat Cheeks patient because he was the chief and too dignified to react?

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

The medic said that, month-on-month, almost 2,000 patients were experiencing delayed discharge across the country.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

People frequently get higher readings in doctors’ offices, so Accad often asks patients to measure their blood pressure at home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

Daft as a Brush, which provides cancer patients with transport to their hospital appointments, said it was shelling out £15,000 a month on diesel - £5,000 more than last year.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Meanwhile, shoes fitted with motion sensors could provide feedback as patients practice walking at home or around their neighborhoods.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

He stopped at many beds, checking medications, smiling, and chatting with patients, who were always grateful to see him.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• calm
• forgiving
• gentle
• quiet
• tolerant