Patience and patient are two different terms that refer to the ability of a person to wait for something.
They have many similarities between them. For example, both of these terms can be used in situations where someone is waiting for something or somebody else. However, there are also some differences between the two terms.
In the English language, “patience” and “patient” are often confused words, but they have different purposes and roles in a sentence.
So, what actually are the differences between patience and patient? In this article, we will discuss the differences between patience and patient, their meanings in English language, and some examples of when you should use one term over another. Let’s begin.
Summary Table:
| Patient | Patience |
| Is used to describe a person who has to endure something that is difficult or unpleasant. | Means “the ability to withstand pain or hardship without complaining” |
| Generally a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. | A noun that describes the ability rather than the person. |
| Is usually used in a negative context | Is usually used in a positive context |
Definitions:
Before we talk about the differences between “patience” and “patient”, let’s first define what we mean by “patient” and “patience.” To do this, we need to take a look back at the definitions and meanings of these two words, the different usages of these two words, and the phrases in which they are used.
What is patient?
Definition of patient: Patient is a noun that means “a person who accepts suffering or pain willingly for the sake of an end”. This definition also refers to “someone who undergoes treatment or medical procedures without resistance”.
Patient is also a adjective that means “to accept or tolerate something,” and it can also mean “to endure something or someone” or “to wait for something or someone”. It can also be an adverb and means “with patience or in a calm and peaceful manner”. For example, the phrase “waiting patiently” has an adverb that means “in a patient manner.”
What are the examples of “patient”?
Some examples of patient in a sentence are:
“The patient was treated immediately.”
“The sick patient waited patiently for his recovery.”
“The old woman sat and waited patiently for her friend to come back home.”
“She is the kind of patient who can wait endlessly for something good to happen.”
What is patience?
The definition of patience: Patience is a noun. Patience means “the ability to tolerate or endure something”. This definition also refers to “the quality of being patient, as in being able to wait or tolerate pain, hardship, etc.” For example, “His patience paid off” means that he was patient enough to wait for the right time to get what he wanted. “Patience” is also an adjective if you want to say “to be patient”.
What are the examples of “patience”?
Some examples of patience in a sentence are:
“He has the patience to endure the pain.”
“She was known for her patience and tolerance of pain and hardship.”
“My patience is being tested.”
“The patience to bear pain and hardship is not in short supply.”
“He showed great patience while waiting for his turn to speak.”
Patience Vs. Patient:
As you may know, there are several words that have a similar meaning. For example, “patience” and “patient” are both used to describe a person who has the ability to bear suffering or tolerate something that is difficult. But, there are some subtle differences between patience and patient. Now, let’s take a look at the differences between these two words.
The Meaning
As mentioned above, the word “patient” is used to describe a person who has the ability to endure something that is difficult or unpleasant. The word “patience” means “to have the power of endurance or long-suffering”.
It can also mean “the ability to withstand pain or hardship without complaining”.
The Grammatical Use
The word “patient” is a noun generally used to describe someone who has suffered a great deal of pain or hardship. For example, if you were in a car accident and you were left with scars on your face, you would probably be described as being a patient by the medical staff.
On the other hand, the word “patience” is a noun or an adjective that describes the ability to endure something that is difficult or unpleasant. For example, if you were given detention at school for breaking your chair, then this would be an example of someone who has a lot of patience.
“Patient” can also be an adjective or an adverb when it is used to describe a person’s effort of patience. For example, if you are “patient” enough to wait for a long time in a queue, then this would be an example of someone who is “patient”.
In “she waits patiently to see the doctor”, this would be an example of a patient person or someone who is “patient”. In this sentence, “patient” can also be used as an adverb.
The Different Meanings in Different Contexts
You can use patience to describe someone who has the ability to bear suffering or tolerate something that is difficult. However, patience is also used to describe the ability to withstand pain or hardship without complaining. In contrast, you can use the word patient when describing everyday activities that take time and require patience.
The Negative Tone
The noun “patient” is usually used in a negative context. For example, if you are described as being “a patient” in a hospital or as being “patient” to the pain of an operation, then this would be an example of someone who is suffering.
On the other hand, the noun “patience” is usually used in a positive context. However, when the word “patient” becomes an adjective or an adverb, it will also have a positive context because it shows that a person has an ability to endure something that is difficult or unpleasant and actually get out of it without complaining.
The Part of Speech, Tenses, Plural and Singular
So what are the character traits of patient and patience?
In terms of the part of speech, the plural noun or plural form of patient can be seen as in patients, while the plural form of the word patience stays the same. This is because patience is a noun form, and is never used as an adjective. The adjective patient can be used in a sentence, but the patient is usually being compared to something else.
For example, in terms of medical treatment, we use patients to refer to sick people who are being treated.
This is usually done in the context of a medical care, a procedure, or an operation.
The adjective form of patience is patient. So, the noun form of the adjective patient is also patient, while the noun patience is not used as an adjective.
We can use the simple present tense of patient or patience, and this depends on the context of the sentence. The simple tense of patient is patient, while the simple tense of patience is patience. In the past tense, we can use was patient or were patient. In the future tense, we can use will be patient.
When we talk about peacefulness and solitaire, we use patient to describe the person, and patience to describe the trait. When someone is patient, they are not aggressive or impatient.
In addition, homophones are words that sound the same, but have different meanings. Homophones can be spelled the same, but pronounced differently. For example, in English, the words “to” and “too” are homophones. In addition, they are also homographs. This means that they have the same spelling, but different meanings. Patient as a noun and patient as an adjective are homonyms. In conclusion, in the case of patient and patience, the noun patient refers to a person who is being treated for something, while the adjective patient refers to a person who is patiently waiting for something to happen.
Final Thoughts
So, if you want to use patient in a sentence, you should know that it is a noun. If you want to use patience in a sentence, you should know that it is an adjective. This can be confusing for some people, especially if they have a poor understanding of the English language.
This can be especially true if you are not a native English speaker.
If you are not sure how to use patient in a sentence, then it is best to look up the meaning of patient on Google and look in the dictionary. It is best to do this before starting to write your own sentences, in order to avoid any confusion later on. The key to using patient and patience in a sentence is to know when to use it. You will have to be careful not to confuse patient with patience, as they are not the same thing and are spelled differently. They also have different meanings depending on the context.
