patience

noun

pa·​tience ˈpā-shən(t)s 

1

: the capacity, habit, or fact of being patient: such as

a

: the ability to accept obstacles or delays in a calm and self-possessed way

The longest lines are always for the barbecue, and those with the patience to wait will find out why.

—Danielle Ames

b

: the ability to act with calm or restraint under provocation or strain

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

I don't have much patience for that kind of behavior.

The team continues to play poorly, and many fans are starting to lose patience.

c

: the ability to persevere over a long period of time despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity

I don't have the patience to do crossword puzzles.

… a complex bureaucracy that requires endless patience to navigate.

—Tara Henley

2

chiefly British : solitaire sense 2

Synonyms of patience

• tolerance
• willingness

Examples of patience in a Sentence

To be a biographer is a somewhat peculiar endeavor. It seems to me it requires not only the tact, patience, and thoroughness of a scholar but also the stamina of a horse. —Nancy Milford, Vanity Fair, August 2001

… in this time of bioethical conundrums, it is good to know that patience, good will, and personal morality will untie far more intellectual knots than the disarray of rancor, conflict, and special interests … —Sherwin B. Nuland, New Republic, 13 Dec. 1999

Mind-numbing delays and irrelevant search results are enough to try the patience of the most saintly Web surfers. —Neil Gross et al., Business Week, 14 June 1999

After a while, their ideological certitudes tried the patience of their own peoples … —Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., New Yorker, 16 Nov. 1992

I don't have the patience to wait in line for hours just to buy a ticket.

Investors need to have patience. The economy will improve soon.

She treated her students with great patience and humor.

I don't have the patience to do crossword puzzles.

Recent Examples on the Web

The weeks when the ice was too thin or rotten to walk on, and yet too present for the use of boats, were a time of patience, of comfort with uncertainty, of rest. —Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

Proponents strongly disagree, pointing to the rapid adoption of products like ChatGPT and counseling patience as other uses of the technology take hold. —ABC News, 22 Nov. 2025

Some Ole Miss fans had less patience for Carter than Finebaum. —Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025

His patience paid off as the apartment stood vacant for seven months during the COVID-19 pandemic. —Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see patient entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing patience

• at the end of one's patience
• have the patience of a saint
• reached the end of my patience
• run out of patience
• stretch someone's patience
• the patience of a saint
• try someone's patience

Rhymes for patience

• impatience

Kids Definition

patience

noun

pa·​tience ˈpā-shən(t)s 

: the quality or state of being patient