Patience is a virtue that many wish to possess. Let’s dive deeper into the meaning of this word. Learning about new words is always a blast, and we’re excited to teach you a few.

If you’ve heard idioms like “patience is a virtue” before or are simply wondering what patience means, then you’re in luck — we have all the information regarding patience you could ever need.

Here’s what patience means and how to use it!

What Is the Definition of Patience?

Patience is a noun. Patience means to possess the ability to put up with or withstand long-suffering or something that would otherwise cause frustration or impatience.

A specific situation or a delay may trigger impatience. While patience usually involves time and people feeling delayed, someone can also grow impatient with someone else’s behavior. If a person continuously repeats unwanted behavior, it may cause someone to grow

impatient with their actions.

If someone has a good amount of patience, they are less likely to become frustrated, provoked, or irritated due to inconveniences or actions. If someone is patient, they can effectively suppress their annoyance or anger when experiencing a delay.

Patience vs. Patient

Patience and patient mean the same thing — patience is a noun while patient is an adjective. While they look similar, they are pronounced differently. Patience is pronounced pa • tience, whereas patient is pronounced pay • shant.

Patient is also a word that can mean two completely different things — these words are also called homophones. Patient can mean a person receiving medical care or it can be another way to say the word patience. For example: “He is a patient at the hospital” or “She has been very patient.”

It’s not uncommon for people to get these two words mixed up. Luckily, we will give you tons of examples below on how to properly use the word patience.

What Is the Origin of Patience?

Patience is a middle English word that originated in the Latin language. Before the word reached middle English, it evolved from old French to Latin. Its original form was the Latin patientia, which meant endurance. It was also referred to as pati, paciencia, and pacience.

It continued to change and evolve until it eventually reached the middle English language as patience.

The English Meaning of Patience vs. Other Meanings

While in the American English Language and the English dictionary, the word patience means one thing, it can mean two completely different things in British English —- similar to our word patient.

In British English, patience can mean the same as in American English; to remain controlled and unprovoked in inconvenient or time-consuming situations. However, it can also refer to a card game.

One popular patience card game is a one-player game where the objective is to use all their cards while making the correct matches. This game is also known as Solitaire.

Solitaire is a popular card game in both the United States and Britain.

How Can You Use Patience in a Sentence?

Learning about a new word is half the fun; when it really gets interesting is when you can start to use it. Whether you’ve heard of the word patience before or not, we’re here to give you tons of examples of using patience in a sentence.

The word patience means to remain calm and relaxed even if there are inarguably irritating or frustrating things happening to or around you.

Here are some examples of patience being used in a sentence.

He showed great patience despite the time delay.

Eventually, her patience wore thin.

He usually has very little patience.

It takes lots of patience to work in that profession.

That must’ve taken a lot of self-control and patience.

She has the patience of a saint.

Are There Idioms Using the Word Patience?

Idioms are sentences or expressions that say one thing but can mean another (when explored deeper).

Here are some example sentences of idioms with the word patience in them or that insinuate being patient or exampling patience:

Patience is a virtue.

The patience of a saint.

Hold your horses.

Play the long game.

Roma wasn’t built in a day.

Hang on (in) there.

Synonyms for Patience

Synonyms have the same or similar meaning as one word but are spelled and pronounced differently. Synonyms can help keep your vocabulary comprehensive.

Here are some synonyms for your word of the day according to a thesaurus!

Forbearance
Tolerance
Restraint
Self-restraint
Resignation
Fortitude
Understanding
Sufferance
Calmness
Composure
Endurance

Antonyms for Patience

Yes, almost every word has synonyms, and almost every word has antonyms as well — antonyms are the opposite of synonyms. For example, the opposite of patience would be impatience.

Impatience
Intolerance
Resistance
Arousal
Indifference

Examples of Patience

Here are some examples of patience being used in a sentence.

Let patience grow in your garden.

Patience can be bittersweet.

Patience is a flower that doesn’t grow in everyone’s garden.

Patience is a powerful attribute.

I’ve run out of patience.

The Takeaway

Patience is a word of Latin and French origin but is now commonly used in the English language. Possessing great patience is impressive, but can also be rare. Many words that are used in the English language have Latin and French origins —- just like patience.

Sources:

Patience Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

PATIENCE | Cambridge English Dictionary

Patience definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.