If you have patience, you are able to stay calm and not get annoyed, for example when something takes a long time, or when someone is not doing what you want them to do.
He doesn't have the patience to wait.
It was exacting work and required all his patience.
2. uncountable noun
Patience is a card game for only one player.
[British]
He would often sit and play patience.
regional note: in AM, use solitaire
3.
See to try someone's patience
More Synonyms of patience
patience in British English
(ˈpeɪʃəns)
noun
1.
tolerant and even-tempered perseverance
2.
the capacity for calmly enduring pain, trying situations, etc
3. mainly British
any of various card games for one player only, in which the cards may be laid out in various combinations as the player tries to use up the whole pack
US equivalent: solitaire
4. obsolete
permission; sufferance
Word origin
C13: via Old French from Latin patientia endurance, from patī to suffer
patience in American English
(ˈpeɪʃəns)
noun
1.
the state, quality, or fact of being patient
; specif.,
a.
the will or ability to wait or endure without complaint
b.
steadiness, endurance, or perseverance in the performance of a task
2. British
solitaire (sense 3)
SYNONYMY NOTE: patience implies the bearing of suffering, provocation, delay, tediousness, etc. with calmnessand self-control [her patience with children]; endurance stresses the capacity to bear suffering or hardship [Job's endurance of his afflictions]; fortitude suggests the resolute endurance that results from firm, sustained courage [the fortitude of the pioneers]; forbearance implies restraint under provocation or a refraining from retaliation for a wrong[he acted with forbearance toward the hecklers]; stoicism suggests such endurance of suffering without flinching as to indicate an almost austereindifference to pain or pleasure
OPPOSITE: impatience
Word origin
ME pacience < OFr < L patientia < pati, to suffer: see passion
COBUILD Collocations
patience
endless patience
lose patience
require patience
reward patience
Examples of 'patience' in a sentence
patience
May's patience has snapped much earlier than that of her predecessors.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
GOLF was surely invented for people with much more patience than I have.
The Sun (2016)
Rose looked up from the small table where she was playing patience.
Paige, Frances The Glasgow Girls (1994)
Patience was wearing thin and time was running out.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The hardest thing for me to deal with in getting older is patience.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Patience may not come naturally but can double your success at work.
The Sun (2014)
You just need a little patience while it sets in the fridge.
The Sun (2014)
Patience was not one of her virtues.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He quickly lost patience with players who were insufficiently like him.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Finding one for sale is a game of patience and specialist contacts.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It takes patience to write something meaningful.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The worse days are those days when we lose patience with one another.
Christianity Today (2000)
The calm patience he maintained thereafter showed he is fully engaged.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Playing patience on my laptop is not the answer.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
And it has been noticeable how their patience has been wearing increasingly thin.
The Sun (2010)
Talking to the family about money may test your patience but gets the right results.
The Sun (2014)
Patience may not be a strong point in this country right now.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
You have little patience for attention to minor detail at the moment.
The Sun (2015)
He has limited patience with players whose attitude continues to be disruptive.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
My wife is beginning to lose patience too.
The Sun (2013)
He won the game of patience by hardly playing an aggressive shot on the offside.
The Sun (2009)
Patience gets the right results at home.
The Sun (2014)
Patience and dedication may not sound exciting but earn you a place on a work team.
The Sun (2013)
It is rather one of patience.
Geoffrey A. Moore INSIDE THE TORNADO: MARKETING STRATEGIES FROM SILICON VALLEY'S CUTTING EDGE (2001)
There are signs that drivers' patience is wearing thin.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Here, as on the domestic front, calm and patience above all are required.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Quotations
Genius is only a greater aptitude for patienceComte de Buffon
Patience is the virtue of an assLord Lansdowne
They also serve who only stand and waitJohn MiltonSonnet on his Blindness
All things come to those who wait
Rome was not built in a day
Patience is a virtue
Word lists with
patience
card games
In other languages
patience
British English: patience /ˈpeɪʃəns/ NOUN
If you have patience, you are able to stay calm and not get annoyed, for example when something takes a long time.
He doesn't have the patience to wait.
American English: patience
Arabic: صَبْرٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: paciência
Chinese: 耐性
Croatian: strpljenje
Czech: trpělivost
Danish: tålmodighed
Dutch: geduld
European Spanish: paciencia
Finnish: kärsivällisyys
French: patience
German: Geduld
Greek: υπομονή
Italian: pazienza
Japanese: 忍耐
Korean: 인내
Norwegian: tålmodighet
Polish: cierpliwość
European Portuguese: paciência
Romanian: răbdare
Russian: терпение
Latin American Spanish: paciencia
Swedish: tålamod
Thai: ความอดทน
Turkish: sabır
Ukrainian: терпіння
Vietnamese: sự kiên nhẫn
All related terms of 'patience'
lose patience
If you have patience , you are able to stay calm and not get annoyed , for example when something takes a long time, or when someone is not doing what you want them to do.
reward patience
If you have patience , you are able to stay calm and not get annoyed , for example when something takes a long time, or when someone is not doing what you want them to do.
endless patience
If you have patience , you are able to stay calm and not get annoyed , for example when something takes a long time, or when someone is not doing what you want them to do.
require patience
If you have patience , you are able to stay calm and not get annoyed , for example when something takes a long time, or when someone is not doing what you want them to do.
to try someone's patience test sb's patience
If someone tries your patience or tests your patience , they annoy you so much that it is very difficult for you to stay calm .
the capacity for calmly enduring difficult situations
It's important to keep your patience in situations such as this.
Synonyms
forbearance
a high degree of tolerance and forbearance
tolerance
his tolerance and understanding of diverse human nature
composure
Stopping briefly to regain her composure, she described her ordeal.
serenity
cool (slang)
restraint
calmness
She faced her ordeal with admirable calmness.
equanimity
He faced his defeat with equanimity.
toleration
sufferance
even temper
imperturbability
Opposites
passion
,
excitement
,
irritation
,
impatience
,
nervousness
,
agitation
,
exasperation
,
restlessness
2 (noun)
Definition
the ability to wait calmly for something to happen without complaining or giving up
a burden which he has borne with great patience
Synonyms
endurance
a test of endurance
resignation
He sighed with profound resignation.
submission
She nodded her head in submission.
fortitude
He suffered his illness with dignity and fortitude.
persistence
Skill comes only with practice, patience and persistence.
long-suffering
perseverance
Perseverance will pay off in the end.
stoicism
They bore their plight with stoicism and fortitude.
constancy
Climate reflects a basic struggle between constancy and change.
Quotations
Genius is only a greater aptitude for patience [Comte de Buffon]Patience is the virtue of an ass [Lord Lansdowne]They also serve who only stand and wait [John Milton – Sonnet on his Blindness]
proverbs
All things come to those who waitRome was not built in a dayPatience is a virtue
Additional synonyms
in the sense of calmness
She faced her ordeal with admirable calmness.
Synonyms
coolness,
cool (slang),
composure,
poise,
equanimity,
sang-froid,
self-possession,
dispassion,
impassivity,
imperturbability
in the sense of composure
Definition
the state of being calm or unworried
Stopping briefly to regain her composure, she described her ordeal.
Synonyms
calmness,
calm,
poise,
self-possession,
cool (slang),
ease,
dignity,
serenity,
tranquillity,
coolness,
aplomb,
equanimity,
self-assurance,
sang-froid,
placidity,
imperturbability,
collectedness,
sedateness
in the sense of constancy
Climate reflects a basic struggle between constancy and change.
Synonyms
steadiness,
stability,
regularity,
uniformity,
perseverance,
firmness,
permanence,
fixedness
Synonyms of 'patience'
patience
Explore 'patience' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of equanimity
Definition
calmness of mind or temper
He faced his defeat with equanimity.
Synonyms
composure,
peace,
calm,
poise,
serenity,
tranquillity,
coolness,
aplomb,
calmness,
phlegm,
steadiness,
presence of mind,
sang-froid,
self-possession,
placidity,
level-headedness,
imperturbability
in the sense of fortitude
Definition
calm and patient courage in trouble or pain
He suffered his illness with dignity and fortitude.
Synonyms
courage,
strength,
resolution,
determination,
guts (informal),
patience,
pluck,
grit,
endurance,
bravery,
backbone,
perseverance,
firmness,
staying power,
valour,
fearlessness,
strength of mind,
intrepidity,
hardihood,
dauntlessness,
stoutheartedness
in the sense of perseverance
Definition
continued steady belief or efforts
Perseverance will pay off in the end.
Synonyms
persistence,
resolution,
determination,
dedication,
stamina,
endurance,
tenacity,
diligence,
constancy,
steadfastness,
doggedness,
purposefulness,
pertinacity,
indefatigability,
sedulity
in the sense of persistence
Skill comes only with practice, patience and persistence.
Synonyms
determination,
resolution,
pluck,
stamina,
grit,
endurance,
tenacity,
diligence,
perseverance,
constancy,
steadfastness,
doggedness,
pertinacity,
indefatigability,
tirelessness
in the sense of resignation
Definition
passive endurance of difficulties
He sighed with profound resignation.
Synonyms
acceptance,
patience,
submission,
compliance,
endurance,
fortitude,
passivity,
acquiescence,
forbearing,
sufferance,
nonresistance
in the sense of stoicism
They bore their plight with stoicism and fortitude.
Synonyms
resignation,
acceptance,
patience,
indifference,
fortitude,
long-suffering,
calmness,
fatalism,
forbearance,
stolidity,
dispassion,
impassivity,
imperturbability
in the sense of submission
Definition
the state in which someone has to accept the control of another person
She nodded her head in submission.
Synonyms
compliance,
obedience,
submissiveness,
meekness,
resignation,
deference,
passivity,
docility,
tractability,
unassertiveness
in the sense of tolerance
Definition
the quality of accepting other people's rights to their own opinions, beliefs, or actions
his tolerance and understanding of diverse human nature