impatient
gb/ɪmpˈeɪʃənt/ us/ɪmpˈeɪʃənt/
B1
English
~ 3700
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
Not able to wait calmly
Not able to wait calmly for something to happen.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is impatient for [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'impatient' with 'eager'. 'Eager' is positive, while 'impatient' often suggests frustration or irritation.
Synonyms
restless (Suggests an inability to stay still or calm due to boredom or anticipation.)
|
eager (Implies a strong desire for something to happen, but without the negative tone of 'impatient'.)
Antonyms
patient (Able to accept delays or problems calmly.)
Collocations
grow impatient
|become impatient
|impatient for results
|impatient with delays
|sound impatient
Themes
emotions
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She grew impatient waiting for the bus.
- He's impatient for the meeting to start.
- The audience became impatient with the long speech.
- Stop tapping your foot—you’re making me impatient.
- They were impatient to open their presents.
Learner examples
- I am impatient to see the movie.
- She is impatient for her food.
- He gets impatient when I am late.
- The children are impatient for summer.
- We are impatient to start the game.
adjective
B2
property
2
Not tolerant of slowness or errors
Not able to accept when people are slow or make mistakes.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is impatient with [someone/something]
Synonyms
irritable (Quickly annoyed, especially by small things.)
Antonyms
tolerant (Willing to accept behavior or opinions you dislike.)
Collocations
impatient with children
|impatient with questions
|impatient with slow service
Themes
emotions
|interpersonal
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She’s impatient with her students when they don’t understand quickly.
- He became impatient with the slow internet connection.
- Managers can be impatient with repeated mistakes.
- Don’t be impatient with him—he’s just learning.
- The coach was impatient with the team’s lack of effort.
Learner examples
- My boss is impatient with slow workers.
- She is impatient with her little brother.
- He is impatient with bad drivers.
- The teacher is impatient with late homework.
- I am impatient with poor service.
Grammar
Dictionary form
impatient
IPA
GB/ɪmpˈeɪʃənt/
US/ɪmpˈeɪʃənt/
Syllables & stress
im - pa - tient (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (pa)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: impatient
Word family
Core family
impatience
noun B1
impatiently
adverb B1
Expressions
grow impatient
1/ɡɹˈoʊ ɪmpˈeɪʃənt/
fixed phrase
Become annoyed from waiting too long
Start feeling annoyed because you have waited a long time.
Examples
- The crowd grew impatient during the delay.
- I’m starting to grow impatient with this process.
impatient for
1/ɪmpˈeɪʃənt fɚ/
fixed phrase
Eager and unable to wait for something
Wanting something to happen soon and not able to wait calmly.
Examples
- She’s impatient for the exam results.
- They were impatient for the show to begin.
impatient with
1/ɪmpˈeɪʃənt wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
Easily annoyed by someone or something slow or faulty
Not able to accept when someone is slow or makes mistakes.
Examples
- He’s impatient with his younger sister.
- The driver was impatient with the traffic.