patiently

adverb

pa·​tient·​ly ˈpā-shənt-lē 

: in a patient manner : with calmness or without complaint or hurry in spite of delays, difficulties, tedium, etc.

The bank customers waited patiently for the next teller.

She very patiently answered all our questions.

It wasn't until I was in my late teens, when my brother Caleb patiently taught me to play racquetball, that I realized I was coordinated enough to participate in athletic endeavors.

—Rhoda Janzen

Examples of patiently in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Watching the carousel go round and round and standing patiently as other people pull their luggage from the lineup with no evidence of your bag in sight is pure torture. —Liz Provencher, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2026

The what-if around Bregman was a recognition of the solid foundation patiently built by the Cubs over a multiyear process, as well as an early sense of the pulsating energy that would return to Wrigley Field last October. —Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026

If someone seems guarded, move patiently and be honest about your motivations. —Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026

Dallas will close out the season with a win and wait patiently to kick off the 2026 campaign. —Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for patiently

• impatiently