bearable

American  

[bair-uh-buhl] / ˈbɛər ə bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being endured or tolerated; endurable.

---

bearable British  

/ ˈbɛərəbəl /

adjective

1. endurable; tolerable

---

Other Word Forms

• bearableness
  noun
• bearably
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of bearable

First recorded in 1540–50; bear ¹ + -able

Explanation

Something that you can live through, disagreeable as it may be, is bearable. The world's most boring math class, while tedious, is bearable. If you can stand to do something, it's bearable. You might have several tricks for making a hot summer day bearable, like drinking iced tea or sitting beside a fan. A shy child might find the first day of kindergarten more bearable if his best friend is in his class. The adjective bearable comes from the sense of bear that means "endure" or "get through." The origin is the Old English beran, from a Germanic root.

Related Words

• livable
• manageable
• passable
• satisfactory
• tolerable