Standard Lemma guide

impatient

adj · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M P EY1 SH AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Restless, short of temper, and intolerant of delays.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She dances when she becomes impatient.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Anxious and eager, especially to begin or have something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Not to be borne; unendurable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Prompted by, or exhibiting, impatience.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • impatient speeches or replies

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective

Meaning 5

restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • impatient with the slower students
  • impatient of criticism

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: patient

History

Etymology

From Old French impacient (modern French impatient), from Latin impatiēns. By surface analysis, im- + patient.

Across languages

Translations

77 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: անհամբեր (anhamber) — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Belarusian: нецярплі́вы (njecjarplívy) — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Bulgarian: нетърпелив (netǎrpeliv) — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Catalan: impacient — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不耐煩 /不耐烦 (bù nàifán) — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Chinese Mandarin: 浮躁 (fúzào) — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Czech: netrpělivý — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Danish: utålmodig — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Dutch: ongeduldig — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Esperanto: malpacienca — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Esperanto: senpacienca — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Finnish: kärsimätön — restless and intolerant of delays
  • French: impatient — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Galician: impaciente — restless and intolerant of delays
  • German: ungeduldig — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Greek: ανυπόμονος (anypómonos) — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Hindi: आतुर (ātur) — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Hungarian: türelmetlen — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Icelandic: óþolinmóður — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Ingrian: terppimätöin — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Irish: mífhoighneach — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Italian: impaziente — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Latin: impatiens — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Luxembourgish: ongedëlleg — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Māori: takahē — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Māori: hīkaikai — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Māori: kiriweti — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Māori: pōāritarita — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Navajo: doo bibaʼ da — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Norman: împâtient — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Norwegian Bokmål: utålmodig — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: utolmodig — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Old English: unġeþyldiġ — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Plautdietsch: onjeduldich — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Polish: niecierpliwy — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Portuguese: impaciente — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Russian: нетерпели́вый (neterpelívyj) — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Scottish Gaelic: mì-fhoighidneach — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Serbo-Croatian: нестр̀пљив — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Serbo-Croatian: nestr̀pljiv — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Spanish: impaciente — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Swedish: otålig — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Swedish: utan tålamod — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Thai: ใจร้อน (jai-rɔ́ɔn) — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Turkish: aceleci — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Turkish: sabırsız — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Turkish: tez canlı — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Ukrainian: нетерпля́чий (neterpljáčyj) — restless and intolerant of delays
  • Armenian: անհամբեր (anhamber) — anxious and eager
  • Bulgarian: неспокоен (nespokoen) — anxious and eager
  • Bulgarian: в очакване (v očakvane) — anxious and eager
  • Catalan: impacient — anxious and eager
  • Chinese Cantonese: 心急 (sam1 gap1) — anxious and eager
  • Chinese Mandarin: 急躁 (jízào) — anxious and eager
  • Chinese Mandarin: 焦急 (jiāojí) — anxious and eager
  • Dutch: ongeduldig — anxious and eager
  • Finnish: kärsimätön — anxious and eager
  • French: impatient — anxious and eager
  • Greek: ανυπόμονος (anypómonos) — anxious and eager
  • Hindi: चंचल (cañcal) — anxious and eager
  • Māori: takahē — anxious and eager
  • Māori: pōtatutatu — anxious and eager
  • Māori: takawawe — anxious and eager
  • Māori: pukā — anxious and eager
  • Norman: împâtient — anxious and eager
  • Old English: unġeþyldiġ — anxious and eager
  • Polish: niecierpliwy — anxious and eager
  • Portuguese: ansioso — anxious and eager
  • Russian: нетерпели́вый (neterpelívyj) — anxious and eager
  • Serbo-Croatian: нестр̀пљив — anxious and eager
  • Serbo-Croatian: nestr̀pljiv — anxious and eager
  • Spanish: impaciente — anxious and eager
  • Swedish: ivrig — anxious and eager
  • Thai: ร้อนรน (rɔ́ɔn-ron) — anxious and eager
  • Turkish: aceleci — anxious and eager
  • Turkish: sabırsız — anxious and eager
  • Turkish: tez canlı — anxious and eager