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
- intolerability noun
- intolerableness noun
- intolerably adverb
- quasi-intolerable adjective
- quasi-intolerably adverb
- superintolerable adjective
- superintolerableness noun
- superintolerably adverb
Etymology
Origin of intolerable
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word intolerābilis. See in- 3, tolerable
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.
"It is an unacceptable and intolerable attack on the fundamental rights of our national Football Federation."
From BBC
“It now seeks to inflict additional pressure on the regime by making the living conditions for civilians intolerable.”
From Los Angeles Times
Across more than 400 pages, the report describes how the NHS faced intolerable pressure as it faced wave after wave of Covid.
From BBC
The pressure was, at times, intolerable and this continued through wave after wave of Covid.
From BBC
We were down with the pigs one time when I told him Tansy was getting intolerable, one of our Spelling School words.
From Literature
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.
