English Explanatory Dictionary

patient

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Willing to wait if necessary; not losing one's temper while waiting.
  2. Constant in pursuit or exertion; persevering; calmly diligent.
  3. Physically able to suffer or bear.
noun
  1. A person or animal that receives health care from a doctor, nurse, dentist, allied health practitioner, or other person educated in health care.
  2. The noun or noun phrase that is semantically on the receiving end of a verb's action.
  3. One who, or that which, is passively affected; a passive recipient.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/ˈpeɪ̯ʃənt/ [ˈpʰeɪ̯ʃənt] ~ [ˈpʰeɪ̯ʃn̩t] /ˈpɛjʃənt/ En-uk-patient.ogg en-us-patient.ogg /ˈpæɪ̯ʃənt/ [ˈpʰæ̝ɪ̯ʃənt] ~ [ˈpʰæ̝ɪ̯ʃn̩t]

Word forms

patient more patient most patient patients

Etymology

From Middle English pacient, from Middle French patient, from Old French pacient, from Latin patiens, present participle of patior (“to suffer, endure”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hate, hurt”).

Synonyms

composed forbearing determined sedulous steady sufferable resistant patient tolerant

Antonyms

antsy impatient agent doer

Related words

passion passionate passive passivity patience -end

Derived words

omnipatient overpatient patient as Job patiently unpatient copatient cyberpatient heartsink patient index patient inpatient interpatient intrapatient mental patient nonpatient outpatient patientcare patient contact patienthood patient information leaflet patientive patientless patientlike patientness patient of something patient role patient under investigation patient zero pseudopatient superpatient telepatient trans patient transpatient walking patient xenopatient
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