धीरज (dhiiraj)

noun A noun meaning 'patience' or 'composure' -- the inner steadiness to endure delay, hardship, or provocation without losing calm.
Sense 1 : patience, composure, fortitude
noun, masculine
Synonyms: सब्र (sabr), संतोष (santosh, patience/contentment, meaning scope), हौसला (hauslaa, courage/nerve, meaning scope)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear elders and comforting friends say धीरज रखो (dhiiraj rakho, 'hold on to your patience') during hard times -- it carries a gentler, more encouraging tone than सब्र (sabr), which can sometimes sound more resigned or religiously tinged. It shares its root with धीर (dhiir, 'steady, composed'), an adjective describing a calm, unshakeable person.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for सब्र (sabr) by default; धीरज (dhiiraj) is equally common and slightly more 'native Hindi' in feel, often paired with the verb रखना (rakhnaa, 'to keep/hold') as in धीरज रखो (dhiiraj rakho, 'keep your patience'), rather than verbs like करना (karnaa). 2) Do not confuse with धीरे (dhiire, 'slowly'), which shares the root धीर (dhiir) but functions as an adverb, not this noun.
Sample Sentences:
मुश्किल वक्त में धीरज रखो। Hold on to your patience in difficult times.
(mushkil vakt men dhiiraj rakho।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
उसने बड़े धीरज से सारी बातें सुनीं। He listened to everything with great patience.
(usne bade dhiiraj se saarii baaten suniin।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
मेरा धीरज अब जवाब देने लगा है। My patience is starting to give out now.
(meraa dhiiraj ab javaab dene lagaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम में थोड़ा धीरज होता तो यह गलती नहीं होती। If you had had a little patience, this mistake would not have happened.
(agar tum men thodaa dhiiraj hotaa to yah galtii nahiin hotii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
वह हर मुसीबत को धीरज से झेलता है। He endures every hardship with patience.
(vah har musiibat ko dhiiraj se jheltaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
काश मुझमें उसके जैसा धीरज होता। I wish I had patience like his.
(kaash mujhmen uske jaisaa dhiiraj hotaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
परीक्षा के नतीजे आने तक धीरज बनाए रखना। Keep your patience up until the exam results come.
(pariikshaa ke natiije aane tak dhiiraj banaae rakhnaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
धीरज के बिना बड़े काम पूरे नहीं किए जा सकते। Without patience, great tasks cannot be accomplished.
(dhiiraj ke binaa bade kaam poore nahiin kie jaa sakte।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
गुरुजी ने कहा कि धीरज ही सफलता की कुंजी है। The teacher said that patience alone is the key to success.
(gurujii ne kahaa ki dhiiraj hii saphaltaa kii kunjii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इतने साल के इंतज़ार ने भी उसका धीरज नहीं तोड़ा। Even so many years of waiting did not break his patience.
(itne saal ke intzaar ne bhii uskaa dhiiraj nahiin todaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): धीरज (dhiiraj)
(sg.m.oblique): धीरज (dhiiraj)
(pl.m.direct): धीरज (dhiiraj)
(pl.m.oblique): धीरजों (dhiirjon)