impatient Meaning, Definition & Usage

adjective restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition
- impatient with the slower students
- impatient of criticism
adjective satellite (usually followed by `to') full of eagerness
raring.
- impatient to begin
- raring to go

OE. impacient, F. impatient, fr. L. impatiens; pref. im- not + patiens patient. See Patient.

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.
A violent, sudden, and impatient necessity. Jer. Taylor.

Fame, impatient of extremes, decays Not more by envy than excess of praise. Pope.

The impatient man will not give himself time to be informed of the matter that lies before him. Addison.

Dryden was poor and impatient of poverty. Macaulay.
Not to be borne; unendurable. Obs. Spenser.
Prompted by, or exhibiting, impatience; as, impatient speeches or replies. Shak. Syn. -- Restless; uneasy; changeable; hot; eager; fretful; intolerant; passionate.