patient

A person who is patient has the ability to wait for something to happen or tolerate difficulty.

• You’ll have to be patient and wait until it’s your turn.
• The kids aren’t being very patient. They want the cake now.
• A patient dog waited for her family to return home.
• Our teacher is very patient. She puts up with a lot of difficult students.
• Henry has to learn to be patient. He’s very impatient. (The word "impatient" is the opposite of "patient.")

The word "patiently" is an adverb:

• People waited patiently until their names were called.
• Denise works patiently with the children.
• The audience sat in the theater patiently until the performance began.

The word "patience" is a noun:

• They have no patience. They can’t wait
• Our teacher has little patience when it comes to misbehavior in the classroom. (He does not tolerate bad behavior.)
• This situation is testing my patience.

Sometimes the word "patient" is used to describe a person who receives medical care:

• The doctor is examining the patient.
• He has a lot of patients waiting to see him. (Note: The words "patients" and "patience" sound the same.)

The doctor is with a patient.

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November 16, 2013