long-suffering.

Patiently enduring trouble, unfair treatment, or annoyance over a long period.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a long-suffering spouse
• long-suffering residents

On the page

Her long-suffering assistant had learned to bring two copies of every schedule.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more long-suffering; superlative most long-suffering when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character. Commonness: moderately common.