Main Difference – Patient vs Patience
Although the two words patient and patience looks and sounds similar, there is a distinctive difference between them. Therefore, they can never be used interchangeably. Patience is the ability accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. Patient has two meaning: it can either refer to the adjective of the noun patience or to a person who is receiving medical care and treatment. This is the main difference between patient and patience.
This article covers,
1. What Does Patient Mean – Grammar, Meaning, Usage with Examples
2. What Does Patience Mean – Grammar, Meaning, Usage with Examples
3. Difference Between Patient and Patience
What Does Patience Mean
Patience is noun that refers to the ability accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. It can also be explained as the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Observe the following examples to understand the meaning and usage of the word.
Her patience, courage, and perseverance finally brought her success.
A mother should have patience to deal with mischievous children.
He has the patience of a saint.
I have run out of patience with them.
You can find it if you have the patience to sift through this mess.
What Does Patient Mean
As mentioned above patient has two main meanings. Patient can be the adjective form of patience. For example,
He was always patient with me.
You have to be patient and wait for the right time.
You’ll have to use a more patient approach.
Our math teacher is always patient with us.
However, the noun patient has an entirely different meaning. As a noun, patient refers to a human or animal who receives medical attention, care, or treatment.
The doctor examined more than a hundred patients.
Charles was a difficult patient.
The patients at the hospital complained about the doctor’s behavior.
The number of dengue patients has reduced drastically.
The hospital has a special program for young patients.
Difference Between Patient and Patience
Part of Speech
Patient is a noun and an adjective.
Patience is a noun.
Adjective
Patient refers to enduring pain, difficulty, provocation with calmness.
Patience is not an adjective.
Noun
Patient refers to a person receiving medical care and treatment.
Patience is the ability to endure pain, difficulty, provocation with calmness.
Image Courtesy:
“Joyce Meyer Patience is not the ability to wait but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting” by BK(CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr
“Blood test” By Linda Bartlett (Photographer) – the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, ID 1986 (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
