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Meaning & use

impatience

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ɪmˈpeɪʃns/
US/ɪmˈpeɪʃns/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    Annoyance at being made to wait or at things happening too slowly.

    Grammar: No plural or article; often followed by with or at.

    Patterns

    • impatience with someone
    • impatience at something

    She tapped her foot in impatience while the line crawled forward.

    His impatience with slow drivers led to many angry horn blasts.

    The teacher tried to hide her impatience at the repeated questions.

  2. noununcountable

    Strong eagerness for something to happen soon.

    Grammar: Often followed by for or to: impatience to begin.

    Patterns

    • impatience for something
    • impatience to do something

    The children waited with impatience for the holiday to start.

    She showed her impatience to leave by standing at the door.

    There was growing impatience for news about the results.

Common combinations

growing impatience
There was growing impatience in the crowd.
show impatience
He showed impatience by checking his watch.
with impatience
She waited with impatience for the doctor.
impatience with something
Her impatience with delays is well known.
hide your impatience
He tried to hide his impatience.
a flash of impatience
A flash of impatience crossed her face.

Synonyms and how they differ

restlessness
Restlessness describes being unable to stay still or calm, and need not involve waiting for something.
irritation
Irritation is simple annoyance, while impatience is annoyance specifically at delay.
eagerness
Eagerness is positive excitement, whereas impatience often contains frustration.
intolerance
Intolerance refers to refusing to accept differences, and is a much broader and harsher word.

Opposites

patiencecalm

Word family

impatient adjective
annoyed by delay or eager for something
impatiently adverb
in a way that shows annoyance at waiting
patience noun
the ability to wait calmly
patient adjective
able to wait without becoming annoyed

Commonly confused: impatience or impertinence?

impatience vs impertinence

Impertinence means rude disrespect, especially toward someone older or in charge; it is not about waiting.

Practice

His ___ grew as the train sat motionless for an hour.

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