tolerant
Americanadjective
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inclined or disposed to tolerate; showing tolerance; forbearing.
tolerant of errors.
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favoring toleration.
a tolerant church.
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Medicine/Medical, Immunology.
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able to endure or resist the action of a drug, poison, etc.
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lacking or exhibiting low levels of immune response to a normally immunogenic substance.
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adjective
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able to tolerate the beliefs, actions, opinions, etc, of others
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permissive
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able to withstand extremes, as of heat and cold
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med (of a patient) exhibiting tolerance to a drug
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tolerant
First recorded in 1770–80; from Latin tolerant-, stem of tolerāns “bearing,” present participle of tolerāre “to bear”; see tolerate
Explanation
If you're tolerant it means that you accept people who are unlike you or put up with stuff you don't like. If you let your roommate play the same awful '80s mix over and over and don't say anything, you're probably a very tolerant person. Broad-minded and open thinking is a hallmark of tolerant behavior. An individual can be tolerant, and so can a community or a nation if it accepts people from lots of different cultures or backgrounds. We generally think of tolerance as a good thing, but that doesn't mean being tolerant is easy — not with so many family members, classmates, and colleagues around to annoy us.
Vocabulary lists containing tolerant
Achievement First 5th Grade IA 1 Words
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Mardi Gras: Faith
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"Slam: Performance Poetry Lives On" and "Euphoria"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tolerant readers will delight in the digressive nature of this inventive book, though others may be disoriented by a story that drastically switches gears before concluding.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Tolerant of sandy soil and salt spray, this is a perfect low-maintenance rose.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 27, 2022
Tolerant viewers may feel invested in her character, and it is hard not to root for her.
From Salon • Jul. 13, 2021
Tolerant by nature and a lover of the arts, Sunny encouraged music and theatre and performance of all varieties.
From The New Yorker • Mar. 15, 2016
Tolerant as his mother was of his usual mess level, there was no way she was going to let him get away with this.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
