Meaning & use
patient
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Able to stay calm and wait, or to keep working through difficulty, without becoming annoyed.
Grammar: Common patterns are patient with a person and patient while doing or waiting for something.
Patterns
- patient with someone
- patient while waiting
- remain patient
- be patient about something
The nurse was patient with the frightened child.
Please be patient while the files finish loading.
She stayed patient despite repeated interruptions.
nouncountablemedical
A person who is receiving medical or dental care, treatment, or advice.
Grammar: Plural is patients; common in hospitals, clinics, and surgeries.
Patterns
- cancer patient
- treat a patient
- patient receives treatment
- patient recovers
The doctor saw twenty patients before noon.
Each patient received a clear explanation of the treatment.
The patient recovered quickly after surgery.
Word forms
| comparative | more patient |
|---|---|
| superlative | most patient |
Common combinations
- patient with children
- A good tutor is patient with children who make mistakes.
- remain patient
- Remain patient if the train is delayed.
- patient care
- The hospital improved patient care by reducing waiting times.
- patient records
- Only staff may access patient records.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tolerant
- Tolerant accepts behavior or opinions you dislike; patient emphasizes calm waiting or effort over time.
- forbearing
- Forbearing is formal and suggests patience under provocation.
- calm
- Calm describes emotional control, but not the ability to keep waiting or trying.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: patient or patience?
patient vs patience
Patience is the noun naming the quality; patient is the adjective, or a noun for a person receiving care.
Practice
She was very ___ with the slow-moving line.
Choose one answer.
After was very, use the adjective patient; patience is a noun, patiently an adverb, and impatient changes the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “patient”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.