intolerance

American  

[in-tol-er-uhns] / ɪnˈtɒl ər əns /

noun

• intolerances
  plural

1. lack of tolerance; unwillingness or refusal to tolerate or respect opinions or beliefs contrary to one's own.

2. unwillingness or refusal to tolerate or respect persons of a different social group, especially members of a minority group.

3. incapacity or indisposition to bear or endure.

   intolerance to heat.

4. abnormal sensitivity or allergy to a food, drug, etc.

5. an intolerant act.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• intolerances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of intolerance

From the Latin word intolerantia, dating back to 1755–65. See intolerant, -ance

Explanation

Intolerance — or an unwillingness to accept the beliefs or behavior of someone different from you — is not a quality you want to have. Intolerance is what leads to hate crimes and discrimination. The word intolerance comes from a combination of the Latin in- meaning “not” and tolerantem meaning "to bear, endure.” Intolerance is not being able to bear or endure beliefs that are different from your own. You may commonly hear of it used with respect to religious intolerance, which is an unwillingness to accept different religious beliefs.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intolerance intolerances

"When I looked up the research about it, there wasn't at that time anything to suggest it was more than a food intolerance."

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

They all had guesses: maybe arthritis, maybe lactose intolerance, maybe stress.

From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026

A Brazilian study published in Nutrients found that omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil reduced glucose intolerance and weakened insulin resistance in rats that were not obese but showed a diabetes-like metabolic condition.

From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026

Justice, defence and crime ministers held an "urgent meeting" to finalise a "plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance", the government said.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

Twenty or thirty years from now, when we have accomplished world peace, when we have succeeded in ending racism and intolerance, the world will remember that the Freedom Writers kept their promise.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

Disruptions in this newly identified signaling pathway may play a role in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerances, and chronic visceral pain.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2026

This discovery may also help explain a range of digestive issues, including food intolerances and irritable bowel syndrome.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2026

The various infections, electrolyte imbalances and medication intolerances weakened her to the point of collapse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025

For those with gluten intolerances, packaged gluten-free snacks and pastas made from alternative grains, like rice or lentils, are widely available.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2024

Cannot we escape some of those hideous ancestral intolerances and cruelties, and positive reversals of the truth?

From Talks To Teachers On Psychology; And To Students On Some Of Life's Ideals by William James

Related Words

• bigotry
• prejudice