French word

impatience

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛ̃pasjɑ̃s/

Meaning

  • feminine nounimpatience

Example

Je comprends ton impatience.

I understand your impatience.

Illustration for impatience (impatience)

More examples

Son impatience était évidente quand il a regardé sa montre.

His impatience was obvious when he looked at his watch.

Core concept

A clock seems to drag while a strong wish pushes forward and turns waiting into irritation.

Common phrases

  • des signes d'impatience

    signs of impatience

  • manifester de l'impatience

    show impatience

Similar words

agacement: Annoyance or displeasure caused by a minor event.
irritation: Strong discomfort that develops into anger.
frustration: Distress caused by an unsuccessful outcome or blocked desire.
hâte: Strong eagerness for something to happen soon.

Definition in French

Disposition mentale marquée par le désir que quelque chose arrive sans délai, souvent accompagnée d'irritation.

Word origin

French impatience developed from Latin impatientia through French, related to impatient and ultimately to Latin patī, "to endure."

Usage tips

  • The fixed phrase avec impatience means "impatiently" and normally appears without an article before impatience.

Other meanings

  • restlessnessnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word