on sufferance

Idioms

Barely tolerated; agreed to but unwillingly. For example, They rarely put a non-academic on the panel, so obviously I was there on sufferance. This expression uses sufferance in the sense of “toleration,” a usage obsolete except in this idiom. [Mid-1500s]

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 a story about who gets to go where, who gets to exist safely in public, and who is only there on sufferance.

From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2021

It is hemmed in by the fact that investigators can only operate on sufferance of the countries they are working in, which can complicate the situation in dangerous or hostile areas.

From Reuters • Mar. 19, 2013

I did join the RSC for a couple of seasons as walk-on and understudy, but felt I was there on sufferance.

From The Guardian • Dec. 5, 2010

When Oliver Cromwell allowed us back in, we were very much here on sufferance.

From The Guardian • Oct. 13, 2010

What was worse, Lola had made it clear that she too would be acting on sufferance.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023