tolerable
Americanadjective
-
capable of being tolerated; endurable.
His arrogance is no longer tolerable.
- Synonyms:
- supportable, bearable
-
fairly good; not bad.
- Synonyms:
- so-so, indifferent, middling, passable
-
Informal. in fair health.
adjective
-
able to be tolerated; endurable
-
permissible
-
informal fairly good
Other Word Forms
- nontolerable adjective
- nontolerableness noun
- nontolerably adverb
- tolerability noun
- tolerableness noun
- tolerably adverb
- untolerable adjective
- untolerableness noun
- untolerably adverb
Etymology
Origin of tolerable
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin tolerābilis, equivalent to tolerā ( re ) to endure + -bilis -ble
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.
The rosé flows, club music plays at tolerable volumes and you won’t find any conga lines or overserved patrons dancing on tables for Instagram likes.
“We will take action on this because it’s simply not tolerable,” Starmer said.
From Los Angeles Times
He argues it permits too many "tolerable" risks - for example, allowing flammable materials in window systems and between floors to remain even if they could let fire spread.
From BBC
To make your next flight less of a sufferfest, we tapped some frequent economy-class fliers for tips on making the back of the plane more tolerable—or even luxurious.
Only you can assess whether that risk is tolerable.
From MarketWatch
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.
