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

Surgeons say that aortic dissections are sometimes identified by accident when a patient undergoes a CT scan or X-ray for routine reasons or other conditions.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

Using brain stroke as an example, Folkerth says the atlas has uncovered new features that could help doctors preserve brain tissue that is injured but not yet beyond repair, potentially improving patient outcomes.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Clinical studies would be needed to establish whether adding genetic testing actually improves treatment decisions and patient outcomes.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

“I felt that individual patient care didn’t have any broader impact beyond that one patient,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

I wait, patient, demure, watching his eyes rove all over the contents of my letter.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

He estimates that 10% of people with an aortic dissection die within an hour, though other physicians say the percentage of patients who die at home could be as high as 40%.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

Aortic dissections are sudden, often lethal and notoriously difficult to predict even in patients under close medical supervision.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

According to the GP, because symptoms are often non-specific and varied, patients can mistakenly be diagnosed with other conditions first.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The study examined valve tissue from 66 patients undergoing replacement for severe aortic stenosis and compared it with normal donor valves.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

Before the introduction of ether a few months before, surgeons had to employ powerful assistants to hold down patients or restrain them with leather-covered chains.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Related Words

• calm
• forgiving
• gentle
• quiet
• tolerant