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Definition of impatient adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

impatient

adjective
 
/ɪmˈpeɪʃnt/
 
/ɪmˈpeɪʃnt/
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  1. annoyed by somebody/something, especially because you have to wait for a long time
    • I'd been waiting for twenty minutes and I was getting impatient.
    • The children were growing impatient.
    • impatient with somebody/something Try not to be too impatient with her.
    • impatient at something Sarah was becoming increasingly impatient at their lack of interest.
    • An impatient driver behind me sounded his horn.
    • She waved them away with an impatient gesture.
    Extra Examples
    • Sometimes he is very impatient with his students.
    • She's getting impatient with the delays.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • appear
    • be
    • feel
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    preposition
    • about
    • at
    • for
    See full entry
  2. wanting to do something soon; wanting something to happen soon
    • impatient to do something She was clearly impatient to leave.
    • impatient for something impatient for change
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • appear
    • be
    • feel
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    preposition
    • about
    • at
    • for
    See full entry
  3. impatient of somebody/something (formal) unable or unwilling to accept something unpleasant
    • impatient of criticism
  4. Word Originlate Middle English (in the senses ‘lacking patience’ and ‘unbearable’): via Old French from Latin impatient- ‘not bearing, impatient’, from in- ‘not’ + pati ‘suffer, bear’ .
See impatient in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee impatient in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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