intolerable
Americanadjective
-
not tolerable; unendurable; insufferable.
intolerable pain.
- Synonyms:
- insupportable, unbearable
- Antonyms:
- endurable
adjective
-
more than can be tolerated or endured; insufferable
-
informal extremely irritating or annoying
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intolerable
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word intolerābilis. See in- 3, tolerable
Explanation
If something is impossible to put up with, you can say it is intolerable. It would be intolerable if your neighbors played their terrible, loud music all night long. Intolerable, tolerable, tolerate, tolerant, and even extol all share the same Latin root word tolerare, which means to bear. Intolerable couples that with the prefix in-, which means not, giving the word its unbearable meaning. The Intolerable Acts, for example, were laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774. The American colonists found them unendurable, and they sparked support for the independence movement, which eventually led to the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Vocabulary lists containing intolerable
Night
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The Old Man and the Sea
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"Common Sense," Vocabulary from the pamphlet
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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.
Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has become a prominent figure in peace talks, said the status quo was "intolerable for America."
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
"The long wait for an outcome has already caused intolerable anxiety and stress, and constitutes an unacceptable harm prohibited under international human rights law."
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
Meta attorney Phyllis Jones showed jurors Instagram posts, text messages and ephemera from her high school years in which Kaley portrayed her home life as intolerable.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
When do competitively priced imports become an intolerable dependency?
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
The position actually was only somewhat less intolerable; but he thought of it as almost comfortable.
From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway
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.
