intolerable

[ in-tol-er-uh-buhl ]

See synonyms for intolerable on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not tolerable; unendurable; insufferable: intolerable pain.
excessive.

Origin of intolerable

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

Other words for intolerable

1	unbearable, insupportable

See synonyms for intolerable on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for intolerable

endurable

See antonyms for intolerable on Thesaurus.com

Other words from intolerable

in·tol·er·a·bil·i·ty, in·tol·er·a·ble·ness, noun
in·tol·er·a·bly, adverb
qua·si-in·tol·er·a·ble, adjective
qua·si-in·tol·er·a·bly, adverb
su·per·in·tol·er·a·ble, adjective
su·per·in·tol·er·a·ble·ness, noun
su·per·in·tol·er·a·bly, adverb

Words that may be confused with intolerable

intolerable , intolerant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use intolerable in a sentence

Small waiting rooms and standing in line were nearly intolerable experiences.
I’m autistic. I’m hoping I can wear a mask for the rest of my life. | Christine M. Condo | February 2, 2021 | Washington Post
The athletes will be just as knackered at the end but that middle section won’t be quite so excruciatingly intolerable if they implement an end spurt strategy.
The Physiology of the Finishing Kick | Alex Hutchinson | January 26, 2021 | Outside Online
This begins with saying out loud that the current state of affairs is intolerable.
'We Need a Fundamental Reset.' Shoshana Zuboff on Building an Internet That Lets Democracy Flourish | Billy Perrigo | January 22, 2021 | Time
Age had crept up on him, and he found newspaper attacks intolerable.
Four presidents who put Virginia’s stamp on early America | Andrew Burstein | October 30, 2020 | Washington Post
It would wring our gizzards intolerably to see so much good stuff going to waste.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire | H.L. Mencken | October 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

“The common perception is that everyone is working all the time and suffering intolerably,” he said.
North Korean Tourism: There’s an App for That | Cristian Salazar | May 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
For me, the experience of losing myself in a character can feel intolerably wonderful.
Karen Russell: How I Write | Noah Charney | February 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The streets here are rather wide for an Italian city but would be deemed intolerably narrow in America.
Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley
The familiar vision of her stood close, looking things intolerably new and different.
Hilda | Sarah Jeanette Duncan
Please give my love to all your people, and forgive my intolerably long letters—or retaliate in kind.
The Letters of Ambrose Bierce | Ambrose Bierce
The place was intolerably dirty, and the smell of tobacco smoke perfectly suffocating.
The Pickwick Papers | Charles Dickens
The hours which had followed James Mottram's departure had seemed intolerably long.
Studies in love and in terror | Marie Belloc Lowndes

British Dictionary definitions for intolerable

intolerable

/ (ɪnˈtɒlərəbəl) /

adjective

more than can be tolerated or endured; insufferable
informal extremely irritating or annoying

Derived forms of intolerable

intolerability or intolerableness, noun
intolerably, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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