intolerable

[in-tol-er-uh-buhl]

adjective

1. not tolerable; unendurable; insufferable.

   intolerable pain.

   Synonyms: insupportable, unbearable
   Antonyms: endurable

2. excessive.

intolerable

/ ɪnˈtɒlərəbəl /

adjective

1. more than can be tolerated or endured; insufferable

2. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of intolerable¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word intolerābilis. See in- ³, tolerable

Example Sentences

Italy's government said Thursday it would address concerns over a new bridge to Sicily, after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned a court ruling against the project as an "intolerable intrusion".

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"It's just intolerable to go outside sometimes," she said.

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"We denounce an intolerable denial of justice," the lawyers wrote in a statement sent to AFP Thursday and dated Wednesday.

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“ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed,” Bondi’s statement read.

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The UK and Germany say they have warned Israel against annexation, while UN Secretary General António Guterres said at the UN on Monday it would be "morally, legally and politically intolerable".

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Related Words

• extreme 
• impossible 
• painful 
• unbearable