What is the Difference Between Patient and Patience?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The words "patient" and "patience" are often confused due to their similar spelling and pronunciation. However, they have different meanings and uses in sentences:
- Patient: This word can be used as a noun or an adjective. As a noun, it refers to a person receiving medical treatment or under medical care. As an adjective, it means "able to wait without complaint" or "tolerant and even-tempered".
- Patience: This word is typically used as a noun only. It refers to someone's capacity to wait for someone else or something while accepting delays or problems without becoming upset or anxious.
A rule of thumb to remember is that "patience" is a noun, so it's something people can have, while "patient" can be both a noun and an adjective. The plural form of "patient" is "patients," which refers to several people who are seeking medical attention. In summary:
- "Patient" can be a noun (referring to a person under medical care) or an adjective (describing someone's ability to wait or tolerate delays).
- "Patience" is a noun that refers to the ability to wait or endure hardship without becoming upset.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Patient and Patience? Comparative Table: Patient vs Patience
Comparative Table: Patient vs Patience
Here is a table comparing the differences between "patient" and "patience":
Feature | Patient | Patience |
---|---|---|
Type | Noun | Noun |
Plural | Patients (referring to multiple people) | No plural form |
Meaning | 1. A person under medical care or treatment. 2. An adjective describing someone who is able to wait calmly for a long time without becoming upset. |
The ability to wait or endure hardship for a long time without becoming upset. |
Context | Used in medical and non-medical contexts. In a medical context, it refers to an individual receiving medical treatment or care. In a non-medical context, it refers to someone who is able to wait calmly for a long time without becoming upset. | Used in contexts where the ability to wait or endure is discussed. |
Example | The doctor saw six patients today. | I have no patience for waiting in traffic. |
Remember that "patient" is used to describe a person, while "patience" is used to describe a quality or ability.
Read more:
- Patience vs Tolerance
- Patience vs Perseverance
- Patience vs Endurance
- Medicine vs Medication
- Outpatient vs Inpatient
- Physician vs Doctor
- Nursing vs Medicine
- Waiting vs Awaiting
- Client vs Customer
- Drug vs Medicine
- Clinic vs Hospital
- Pain vs Suffering
- Healing vs Curing
- Disease vs Illness
- Consumer vs Customer
- Medical Science vs Medicine
- Empathy vs Apathy
- Pupil vs Student
- Empathy vs Compassion