Is the word patient an adjective?
“Patients” Is Always a Noun As an adjective, “patient” means tolerant. In other words, it is the adjective of the noun “patience.” This is the root of the confusion between the words “patients” and “patience.” If you see the word “patients,” it always means more than one person receiving treatment.
How do you use patient in a sentence?
Patient sentence example
- You need to be patient and give him a little space.
- They’d been patient , setting up their ultimate victory over the course of tens of thousands of years.
- When she is older I will teach her many things if she is patient and obedient.
- He’d have to be patient with her.
Are patience and patients the same thing?
There’s room for confusion here, so let’s make this simple: You can be patient, because patient is an adjective; You can have patience, because patience is a noun; You can be patience personified, but it’s not very easy to achieve; You can’t have patient; Patients is the plural of the noun patient, a person who is …
What is patient mean?
Patient: A person under health care. A person who requires medical care. A person receiving medical or dental care or treatment. A person under a physician’s care for a particular disease or condition. A person who is waiting for or undergoing medical treatment and care.
What is another word for patient?
Synonyms of patient
- forbearing,
- long-suffering,
- stoic.
- (or stoical),
- tolerant,
- uncomplaining.
What are the two meanings of patient?
The noun “patience” refers to the ability to wait or endure hardship for a long time without becoming upset. The noun “patients” is the plural form of “patient”—someone who receives medical care.
How do you describe someone who is a patient?
Patience is a person’s ability to wait something out or endure something tedious, without getting riled up. Having patience means you can remain calm, even when you’ve been waiting forever or dealing with something painstakingly slow or trying to teach someone how to do something and they just don’t get it.
What is a efficient?
1 : productive of desired effects especially : capable of producing desired results with little or no waste (as of time or materials) an efficient worker efficient machinery.
What is an example of efficient?
The definition of efficient is being productive with minimal effort. An example of efficient is a car that gets 60 miles to a gallon of gas. Working or operating efficiently with regard to; making efficient use of. An efficient process would automate all the routine work.
What does persevering mean?
: continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition : the action or condition or an instance of persevering : steadfastness.
What is efficiently mean?
: in an efficient manner : with success, competence, or adequate effect working/operating efficiently finding ways to use fuel more efficiently Service is efficiently friendly, and the waitstaff knows the menu inside out.—
What is efficiency in simple words?
Efficiency is the fundamental reduction in the amount of wasted resources that are used to produce a given number of goods or services (output). Economic efficiency results from the optimization of resource-use to best serve an economy.
Is quickly and efficiently the same?
Spoiler alert: They’re not. Speed (or velocity, if you prefer) is how quickly you can accomplish a task. Efficiency is a comparison — a ratio — of the useful work performed by a machine or in a process to the total work needed to complete a process. Speed and efficiency are related, but they’re not synonymous.
What is another word for efficiently?
What is another word for efficiently?
| successfully | effectively |
|---|---|
| skillfully | conscientiously |
| effortlessly | in a satisfactory manner |
| profoundly | smoothly |
| excellently | with skill |
What is another word for time efficient?
What is another word for timesaving?
| effective | streamlined |
|---|---|
| economical | resourceful |
| laborsaving | orderly |
| saving | well ordered |
| cost-effective | well-planned |
What is another word for effectiveness?
Effectiveness Synonyms – WordHippo Thesaurus….What is another word for effectiveness?
| success | efficacity |
|---|---|
| efficiency | fruitfulness |
| potency | productiveness |
| advantage | efficaciousness |
| impact | performance |
What is the opposite of own?
own. Antonyms: alienate, forfeit, lose, disclaim, disavow, disinherit, disown, abjure, abandon.
What is the opposite word of respect?
Opposite Word of respect: “disdain, dishonor, disrespect”
What is the opposite word of on?
“I advised him to keep along the path, but he started meandering off.”…What is the opposite of on?
| against | in opposition to |
|---|---|
| averse to | in competition with |
What is opposite word of beautiful?
Opposite of being physically attractive. ugly. hideous. grotesque. repulsive.
What is the opposite of enjoy?
enjoy. Antonyms: dislike, disrelish, suffer, loathe, forfeit, lose, tolerate, endure. Synonyms: like, relish, possess.
What is the meaning of hate?
Verb. hate, detest, abhor, abominate, loathe mean to feel strong aversion or intense dislike for. hate implies an emotional aversion often coupled with enmity or malice.
What is the opposite of smile?
What is the opposite of smile?
| frown | scowl |
|---|---|
| grimace | lour |
| lower | moue |
| mow | pout |
What do you call a fake smile?
The Pan Am smile, aka the ‘Botox smile,” is the name given to a fake smile, in which only the zygomatic major muscle is voluntarily contracted to show politeness.
What is the similar word of smile?
smile synonyms
- beam.
- grin.
- laugh.
- smirk.
- simper.
- be gracious.
- express friendliness.
- express tenderness.
What is a synonym for beautiful smile?
alluring, appealing, attractive, charming, comely, delightful, drop-dead (slang) exquisite, fair, fine, glamorous, good-looking, gorgeous, graceful, handsome, lovely, pleasing, radiant, ravishing, stunning (informal)
What are the 19 different types of smiles?
Did You Know There Are 19 Types Of Smile?
- Duchenne smile. A neurologist of the 19th century, Duchenne de Boulogne was the father of electrotherapy.
- Fear smile.
- Miserable smile.
- Damp smile.
- Embarrassed smile.
- Qualifier smile.
- Contempt smile.
- The malicious joy.
How do you make someone smile in one word?
Synonyms
- please. verb. to make someone feel happy and satisfied.
- excite. verb. to make someone feel happy and enthusiastic about something good that is going to happen.
- hearten. verb.
- uplift. verb.
- fulfil. verb.
- bring a smile to your face/lips. phrase.
- make someone’s day. phrase.
- do someone’s heart good. phrase.
From Wiktionary
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Contents
- 1 Pronunciation
- 2 Adjective
- 2.1 Antonyms
- 3 Noun
- 3.1 Synonyms
Pronunciation[change]
- IPA (key): /ˈpeɪʃənt/
-
Audio (RP) (file) -
Audio (GA) (file) - Hyphenation: pa‧tient
Adjective[change]
|
Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
- If someone is patient, they can wait without getting upset.
- It’s hard to be patient with people who don’t listen to you.
- I’m a patient man with a long memory; I can wait.
Antonyms[change]
- impatient
Noun[change]
|
Singular |
Plural |
- A patient is a person or animal under medical care.
- Emergency room doctors treated over 200 patients today.
- Patients with various illnesses were put on the diet.
Synonyms[change]
- client
Retrieved from «https://simple.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=patient&oldid=455073»
Categories:
- Adjectives
- Nouns
Patient vs. patient: it’s not a boxing match between Jim Patient and Bob Patient. Nor is it a quick way to see who gets the next appointment with your doctor. Patient and patient are homographs—words that are spelled and pronounced the same but that have very different meanings.
Putting People First
One way to use patient is as a noun meaning a person who is receiving medical care.
Here are a few straightforward examples of how to use patient as a noun:
- The nurse prepared the patient for surgery.
- The grateful patient survived a heart attack.
- It is important for a doctor to know her patient’s medical history.
When It Isn’t What the Doctor Ordered
The adjective form of patient is a character trait that describes someone with the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
Use it to describe how what someone is like or how someone is behaving, as in these examples:
- A hungry child is rarely patient while waiting for dinner.
- The patient man quietly reads the newspaper rather than worrying about when his guests will arrive.
- “Thank you for being patient. I’ll be with you shortly.”
Be Patient with This Next Part
We can also change our character trait, patient, into a noun—patience. You can either “be patient” or “have patience.” As long as the corresponding verb agrees, both usages are correct and are interchangeable in common contexts. However, the phrase “be patient” is used much more often by modern speakers than the slightly more formal-sounding “have patience.”
Fun fact: Patience used to be a popular name among Puritans in the seventeenth century. This was a virtue name coined for its similarity to Hope, Faith, and Charity.
Homophone Confusion
If you take our first definition of patient—as in a person receiving medical care—and add an s to make it plural, you get patients. And that creates more homophone confusion!
Homophones are words that sound the same when spoken, even though they have different meanings or spellings. As we discussed earlier, “patient” and “patient” share a spelling and pronunciation, so they cannot be distinguished from each other except through context. Both are pronounced phonetically as /ˈpāSHənt/.
“Patience” and “patients” can at least be identified by their separate spellings. That means they’re easy to distinguish when written down but sound the same when spoken aloud. The phonetic pronunciation for both is /ˈpāSHəns/. The “nce/nts” pattern puts “patience/patients” in the same homophone family as “independence/independents,” “presence/presents,” and “innocence/innocents.”
In- or Im-?
Let’s back up to the beginning and see how prefixes affect patient vs. patient. A prefix is a set of letters added to the beginning of a word that changes its meaning. When we add in- or im- to patient, we immediately know for certain whether we are using the word as a noun or as an adjective.
Why? Because patient as a noun (person receiving medical care) is the only form of patient that can have in- as a prefix. This creates the word inpatient, which means a person receiving medical care while remaining at a hospital. Patient as an adjective is the only form of the word that can have im- as a prefix. This creates the word impatient, which means showing a tendency to be quickly irritated.
You can even use them both together. “Are you impatient with your inpatient treatment?”
Remembering Patient vs. Patient
When it comes down to it, using patient vs. patient correctly is all about the context. If a conversation revolves around medical care, chances are that the patient being referred to is a person. If someone is complimenting a person’s character, then patient is likely being used as an adjective
Thanks for being such a patient grammarian and reaching the end of this blog post! And if you’d like to discover the differences between other common homophones, take a look at our posts on principle vs. principal, aid vs. aide, and premiere vs. premier.
Resources
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patient
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
English Grammar 101: Farther vs. Further
Farther vs. further…which is right? Short Answer Farther describes physical distance, while further describes figurative distance. In some cases, when the distinction between physical and…
- Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.
WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023
pa•tient /ˈpeɪʃənt/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
- Medicineone under medical care or treatment:The patients in this ward all have cancer.
adj.
- able to control one’s feelings in spite of annoyance, misfortune, etc., without complaining.
- continuing to work steadily;
diligent;
steady.
pa•tient•ly, adv.: The dog sat patiently.See -pat-.
- patient is an adjective and a noun, patiently is an adverb, patience is a noun:Be patient with the baby. That doctor has many patients. That teacher treats his class patiently. Don’t lose your patience with the baby.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023
pa•tient
(pā′shənt),USA pronunciation n.
- Medicinea person who is under medical care or treatment.
- a person or thing that undergoes some action.
- Archaic. a sufferer or victim.
adj.
- bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like.
- characterized by or expressing such a quality:a patient smile.
- quietly and steadily persevering or diligent, esp. in detail or exactness:a patient worker.
- undergoing the action of another (opposed to agent ).
- Idioms patient of:
- Idiomshaving or showing the capacity for endurance:a man patient of distractions.
- Idiomssusceptible of:This statement is patient of criticism.
- Latin patient- (stem of patiēns), present participle of patī to undergo, suffer, bear; see —ent
- Middle French
- Middle English pacient (adjective, adjectival and noun, nominal) 1275–1325
pa′tient•less, adj.
pa′tient•ly, adv.
pa′tient•ness, n.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged invalid.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged uncomplaining, long-suffering, forbearing, resigned, passive, calm.
- 5.See corresponding entry in Unabridged quiet, serene, unruffled, unexcited, self-possessed, composed.
- 6.See corresponding entry in Unabridged sedulous, assiduous, untiring.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged hostile.
- 5.See corresponding entry in Unabridged impatient, agitated.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
patient /ˈpeɪʃənt/ adj
- enduring trying circumstances with even temper
- tolerant; understanding
- capable of accepting delay with equanimity
- persevering or diligent: a patient worker
n
- a person who is receiving medical care
Etymology: 14th Century: see patience
ˈpatiently adv
‘patient‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Adjective
To pry apart violent Islamic radicals, the United States has to become knowledgeable about internal cleavages and be patient in exploiting them.
—
Samantha Power, New York Times Book Review, 29 July 2007
I pack them into the compartment for a visit, pack till it’s full far beyond capacity and weep with them, share with them my scanty bit of good fortune, tell them I care, tell them be patient, tell them I’m on their side …
—John Edgar Wideman, Harper’s, December 2003
There’s no sense being patient with people who make you wait, because they’ll only make you wait longer the next time.
—Andrew A. Rooney, And More by Andy Rooney, (1979) 1982
I hate having to stand in long lines. I’m just not very patient.
The teacher treated her students in a patient and understanding way.
“Aren’t you finished yet?” “Be patient. I’ll be done soon.”
Proofreading requires patient attention to detail.
They put in years of patient labor on the project.
Noun
Several patients were waiting to see the doctor.
the nurse asked the patient to change into a paper gown
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Florida State and Miami basketball fans, for whatever reason, seem to be more patient and realistic.
—Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2023
And always be patient, persistent and polite.
—Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2023
Be patient and aware, because even though there is some luck supporting you, throwing caution completely to the wind will likely result in disappointment.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2023
Take your time, and be patient with yourself.
—Dakota Kim, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2023
The burden bearer could be patient and self-sacrificing but also bitter.
—Jaeah Lee, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2023
Scheduling doctor’s appointments, calling your kid’s school and ordering takeout are all instances where the other person is supposed to be patient and professional with you.
—Erin Hahn, CNN, 28 Mar. 2023
Current and past employees describe the recruiters of Axis Medical Staffing as responsive, patient, knowledgeable, and collaborative.
—Riley Blanton, Verywell Health, 23 Mar. 2023
People have been so great, so patient, so understanding for the most part.
—Josh Chesler, SPIN, 22 Mar. 2023
Bleeding and clotting complications, which can lead to stroke and heart attack, are more common in COVID patients, said Lekshmi Santhosh, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
—Jason Gale, Fortune Well, 6 Apr. 2023
In patients undergoing invasive surgical procedures, listening to relaxing music can decrease their levels of the stress hormone cortisol and reduce pain.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 6 Apr. 2023
Thirty-seven of the patients were linked to four healthcare facilities.
—Wire Reports, oregonlive, 6 Apr. 2023
During last year’s especially bad RSV season, some children’s hospitals had to set up tents in their parking lots to deal with the overflow of patients.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 5 Apr. 2023
Campbell’s bill in its current form would bar physicians from providing puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgery to treat gender dysphoria in patients under the age of 18.
—Lauren Mcgaughy, Dallas News, 4 Apr. 2023
And homeless shelters or nursing homes that aren’t equipped to take care of these patients won’t take them.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2023
The number of patients actually treated was far outstripped by need, but Gomperts came to realize that employing eye-catching methods — breaking silence and taboos — could lead to changes in attitudes.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2023
Our first study was in cancer patients.
—David Marchese David Marchese, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘patient.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.