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  1. impatient love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Unable to wait patiently or tolerate delay; restless.
  2. adj. Unable to endure irritation or opposition; intolerant: impatient of criticism.
  3. adj. Expressing or produced by impatience: an impatient scowl.
  4. adj. Restively eager or desirous; anxious: impatient to begin.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Not patient; not bearing or enduring with composure or patience; uneasy under existing conditions, and eager for relief or change; excited by opposition or the thwarting of one's desires; quick-tempered.
  2. Intolerant; non-endurant; resistant: as, impatient of control.
  3. Prompted by or springing from impatience; exhibiting or expressing impatience: as, an impatient manner.
  4. Not to be borne; intolerable.
  5. Synonyms and Restless, unquiet, hasty, eager, precipitate, impetuous, vehement.
  6. n. One who lacks patience.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. restless and intolerant of delays
  2. adj. anxious and eager, especially to begin something

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Not patient; not bearing with composure; intolerant; uneasy; fretful; restless, because of pain, delay, or opposition; eager for change, or for something expected; hasty; passionate; -- often followed by at, for, of, and under.
  2. adj. obsolete Not to be borne; unendurable.
  3. adj. Prompted by, or exhibiting, impatience.
  4. n. rare One who is impatient.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. (usually followed by `to') full of eagerness
  2. adj. restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition

Etymologies

  1. Middle English impacient, from Old French impatient, from Latin impatiēns, impatient- : in-, not; see in-1 + patiēns, present participle of patī, to suffer, endure; see patient. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “Indeed by this time the whole party were gathered, and in impatient expectation that the dinner would make up to them in some degree for the various disappointments of the morning.”

    Melbourne House

  • “With his head to one side, and smoking his cigar in short, impatient draughts, he listened.”

    The Trial

  • “But the next minute, the little creature whimpering, she bent down in impatient repentance and kissed it, whimpering too.”

    That Lass o' Lowrie's: A Lancashire Story

  • “I know you too well; but I want to hear what you have been doing -- what he said, 'answered Charles, in short, impatient sentences.”

    The Heir of Redclyffe

  • “Coming slowly on through the forests of masts was a great steamship, beating the water in short impatient strokes with her heavy paddles as though she wanted room to breathe, and advancing in her huge bulk like a sea monster among the minnows of the Thames.”

    Old Curiosity Shop

  • “Thus earnestly does a gracious soul desire communion with God, thus impatient is it in the want of that communion, so impossible does it find it to be satisfied with any thing short of that communion, and so insatiable is it in taking the pleasures of that communion when the opportunity of it returns, still thirsting after the full enjoyment of him in the heavenly kingdom.”

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume III (Job to Song of Solomon)

  • “Those that get impatient from the long wait simply pin a note to the front of children’s pockets and leave them in line alone.”

    Safe Haven | Heretical Ideas Magazine

  • “I'm also terribly impatient, which is not a good mindset for an editor.”

    The Guardian: This much I know: David Remnick

  • “I'm reluctant to use this recent excerpt given the source (I think it misquotes her, and exaggerates her so-called "contempt") but it does simultaneously capture how the media treats Hillary, as well as her youthful, hopeful -- and dare I say "impatient" -- address:”

    Your Right Hand Thief

  • “When I order food, I almost always pick it up myself because it usually takes less time yes, I can be impatient, which is in odd sort of characteristic to share with “laziness”.”

    When is Good Customer Service Not Good Customer Service? | Motivational Humor from the Motivational Smart Ass!

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synonyms (11)

Words with the same meaning

  1. uneasy
  2. passionate
  1. fretful
  2. intolerant
  1. hot
  2. eager
  1. restless
  2. changeable
  1. hasty
  2. unendurable
  1. irritable

equivalents (3)

Other words for ‘impatient’

  1. eager
  1. restive
  1. unforbearing

same context (9)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. angry
  1. eager
  1. indignant
  1. jealous
  1. proud
  1. sullen
  1. bitter
  1. irritable
  1. gentle

rhymes (2)

Words with the same terminal sound

  1. abortifacient
  1. patient

reverse dictionary (39)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. intolerant
  2. haunty
  3. disquiet
  4. impatience
  5. impatient
  6. impatiently
  7. hardnose
  1. nattered
  2. tittup
  3. unpatient
  4. petulantly
  5. antsy
  6. fidgety
  7. gog
  1. jerky
  2. eager
  3. exasperate
  4. overeager
  5. tired
  6. bah
  7. tire
  1. restive
  2. chafe
  3. dash
  4. testy
  5. quick
  6. sharp
  7. weary
  1. wince
  2. anger
  3. broil
  4. excessively
  5. irritation
  6. precipitant
  7. rank
  1. think
  2. tickle
  3. toss
  4. wild

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‘impatient’ has been looked up 2752 times, loved by 1 person, added to 16 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 13.