impatient

[ im-pey-shuhnt ]
See synonyms for: impatientimpatiently on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. not patient; not accepting delay, opposition, pain, etc., with calm or patience.

  2. indicating lack of patience: an impatient answer.

  1. restless in desire or expectation; eagerly desirous.

Idioms about impatient

  1. impatient of, intolerant of: impatient of any interruptions.

Origin of impatient

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English impacient, from Latin impatient-, stem of impatiēns “not enduring, not tolerating”; equivalent to im-2 + patient

Other words for impatient

Opposites for impatient

Other words from impatient

  • im·pa·tient·ly, adverb
  • im·pa·tient·ness, noun
  • un·im·pa·tient, adjective
  • un·im·pa·tient·ly, adverb

Words Nearby impatient

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use impatient in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for impatient

impatient

/ (ɪmˈpeɪʃənt) /


adjective
  1. lacking patience; easily irritated at delay, opposition, etc

  2. exhibiting lack of patience: an impatient retort

  1. (postpositive foll by of) intolerant (of) or indignant (at): impatient of indecision

  2. (postpositive often foll by for) restlessly eager (for something or to do something)

Derived forms of impatient

  • impatiently, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012