forbearance

[ fawr-bair-uhns ]

noun

1. the act of forbearing; a refraining from something.

   Synonyms: abstinence

2. forbearing conduct or quality; patient endurance; self-control:

   Their teacher exhibited great forbearance when the children started acting up in class.

   Synonyms: indulgence, sufferance, toleration, tolerance

3. an abstaining from the enforcement of a right.
4. Finance. a form of repayment relief granted by a lender that temporarily postpones payments due from a borrower, while interest on the loan typically continues to accrue:

   When he had difficulty making his monthly mortgage payments, the bank granted a forbearance, so he avoided foreclosure on his home.

forbearance

/ fɔːˈbɛərəns /

noun

1. the act of forbearing
2. self-control; patience
3. law abstention from or postponement of the enforcement of a legal right, esp by a creditor allowing his debtor time to pay

Other Words From

• non·for·bear·ance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of forbearance¹

First recorded in 1570–80; forbear + -ance

Example Sentences

Parenting a preschooler is hard (believe me, I know), and it takes a lot of time, energy, and forbearance to do it right.

From The Daily Beast

Paul is right that we must deal with the Bundy crisis in the spirit of neighborly forbearance.

From The Daily Beast

But selfies, like people, deserve our forgiveness, our forbearance, and our support.

From The Daily Beast

My daughters treated their grandmother with infinite forbearance and affection.

From The Daily Beast

But in the here and now of it, I ask for your patience, and forbearance, while I give it a shot.

From The Daily Beast

And when wine had unselfed my noble father, you received his passionate insults with forbearance and forgiveness!

From Project Gutenberg

I endured his insults until the time came when further forbearance would have been a disgrace, and then I closed with him.

From Project Gutenberg

She did not expect much forbearance, but it never occurred to her that things could come to such a terrible pass.

From Project Gutenberg

I feel that I can, with confidence, rely upon the magnanimity and forbearance of my patrons, under this state of things.

From Project Gutenberg

Surely a spoiled old man-child like the crouching figure yonder would exhaust the forbearance of Jizo Sama himself!

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fortitude
• self-control