French word

impatienter

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛ̃pasjɑ̃te/

Meaning

  • verbmake ___ impatient

Example

Arrête de m'impatienter !

Stop making me impatient!

Illustration for impatienter (make ___ impatient)

More examples

Cette attente risque d'impatienter les clients.

This wait risks making the customers impatient.

Core concept

A person held on the edge of action while an answer or event stays out of reach.

Common phrases

  • impatienter quelqu'un

    make ___ impatient

  • impatienter les gens

    make the people impatient

  • impatienter un enfant

    make a child impatient

Similar words

faire attendre: To keep someone waiting for a reply or action.
retarder: To delay an event or someone's arrival or departure.
agacer: To annoy someone over a minor matter.
énerver: To strongly irritate and upset someone.

Definition in French

Mettre quelqu'un dans un état d'impatience en différant une réponse ou une action.

Word origin

French impatienter is derived from the adjective impatient with -er, while impatient goes back through Latin impatientem to impatiens, meaning not enduring.

Usage tips

  • Impatienter takes a direct object: impatienter quelqu'un means to make someone impatient, unlike English be impatient, which describes the person's state.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word