patience

patience — noun

1. a calm way of dealing with delays, difficult work, or trouble without getting an

1.nounB2
Definition

a calm way of dealing with delays, difficult work, or trouble without getting annoyed

Example

Mina showed patience while her son tied his school shoes.

collocation: show patience

After three slow buses, Carlos finally lost patience at the stop.

phrase: lose patience

Common collocations
  • show patience
  • lose patience
  • have patience
  • patience with children
  • test someone's patience
Synonyms
  • tolerance

    often stresses accepting people or situations you do not like

  • perseverance

    focuses more on continuing until a task is finished

  • self-control

    is broader and includes controlling many kinds of feelings or impulses

Antonyms
  • impatience

    the feeling of becoming annoyed because something is slow

  • irritability

    suggests being easily annoyed, not calmly enduring

Grammar Patterns

have patience

show patience with someone

lose patience with someone

with patience

Usage Note

Usually uncountable and common after verbs such as 'have', 'show', and 'lose'. Follow it with 'with' for the person or thing causing delay or trouble, and distinguish it from the adjective 'patient' in 'be patient'.

Common Mistakes

You need be patience with small children.
You need patience with small children.' / 'You need to be patient with small children.
'patience' is a noun, but 'patient' is the adjective.
She waited with patient.
She waited with patience.
After 'with', use the noun 'patience', not the adjective 'patient'.

2. a one-player card game where you arrange the cards alone by fixed rules

2.noun
Definition

a one-player card game where you arrange the cards alone by fixed rules

Example

On rainy Sundays, Uncle Ray played patience by the kitchen window.

pattern: play patience

During the train ride, Emma set out a quick game of patience.

pattern: a game of patience

Common collocations
  • play patience
  • a game of patience
  • patience game
Synonyms
  • solitaire

    the usual name in American English

  • card solitaire

    a descriptive label used when distinguishing it from other card games

Grammar Patterns

play patience

a game of patience

patience game

Usage Note

Usually singular and mainly British English. American English more often uses 'solitaire' for this kind of one-player card game.

Idioms

the patience of Job

idiom

A very high level of patience, especially in difficult situations.

Dealing with this faulty printer requires the patience of Job.

My grandmother has the patience of Job when teaching us to cook.

try somebody’s patience

idiom

To cause someone to become impatient or annoyed.

The constant noise from the construction site tried my patience.

Does her endless complaining try your patience too?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Patience' is the best general word for staying calm when things are slow, difficult, or annoying. 'Tolerance' is closer to accepting behaviour, ideas, or conditions that you may not like, so it is often used in social or personal situations. 'Perseverance' focuses on continuing for a long time until you finish something hard; it says less about calm waiting. 'Self-control' is wider than patience because it includes controlling anger, fear, spending, or other impulses. A parent waiting while a child ties a shoe needs patience. A runner training for six months shows perseverance. A teacher listening politely to rude comments shows both patience and self-control.

patience ↗tolerance ↗perseveranceself-control ↗

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Patience came into English through Old French from Latin 'patientia', a word about enduring or bearing suffering calmly. It is related to the Latin verb 'pati', meaning 'to suffer' or 'to endure', which helps explain why the modern word is about staying calm through delay, trouble, or discomfort.