tolerable

[ tol-er-uh-buhl ]

/ ˈtɒl ər ə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tolerable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

capable of being tolerated; endurable: His arrogance is no longer tolerable.

fairly good; not bad.

Informal. in fair health.

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Nearby words

Origin of tolerable

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin tolerābilis, equivalent to tolerā(re) to endure + -bilis -ble

SYNONYMS FOR tolerable

1 bearable, supportable.

2 passable, middling, indifferent, so-so.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tolerable ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

tol·er·a·ble·ness, tol·er·a·bil·i·ty, nountol·er·a·bly, adverbnon·tol·er·a·ble, adjectivenon·tol·er·a·ble·ness, noun

non·tol·er·a·bly, adverbun·tol·er·a·ble, adjectiveun·tol·er·a·ble·ness, nounun·tol·er·a·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tolerable

All that would be tolerable if he were an arrogant jerk, or just plain dumb.
Castro Street’s Hot Cop Is the Batman to Sexy Mug Shot Guy’s Joker|Itay Hod|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What is typically omitted from this story for the sake of a tolerable holiday celebration is a little historical context.
Don't Let the Maccabees Win|Matt Lerner|December 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Will Ferrell, in all his green-suited glory, and a tolerable Zooey Deschanel changed our lives ten years ago.
Elf’s 10th Anniversary: I’m Still Obsessed With This Syrupy Movie|Anna Brand|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At a pitch I could be a tolerable road-sweeper or an inefficient gardener or even a tenth-rate farm hand.
Thatcher's Economic Legacy|Megan McArdle|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST

There are some tolerable offerings out there, but nothing much that moves the needle on the “ooh” meter.
Apps for Kids Who Love to Read: Moonbot Studios, Touch Press, and More|Malcolm Jones|December 24, 2011|DAILY BEAST
"Mr. Langdon has a tolerable idea of what I think," answered Porter.
Thoroughbreds|W. A. Fraser
The leaves of the latter have been manufactured into paper of tolerable consistency.
The Desert World|Arthur Mangin
It was in a tolerable state of preservation, though rather rusty.
Round Cape Horn|Joseph Lamson
We sat down and, such was the influence of her mesmeric eyes, we ate a tolerable breakfast.
Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1909 to 1922|Lucy Maud Montgomery
However, I knocked with tolerable distinctness, and then waited the result.
Hurricane Hurry|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for tolerable

tolerable

/ (ˈtɒlərəbəl) /

adjective

able to be tolerated; endurable

permissible

informal fairly good

Derived Formstolerableness or tolerability, nountolerably, 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

Word Origin and History for tolerable

tolerable

adj.

early 15c., "bearable," from Middle French tolerable (14c.), from Latin tolerabilis "that may be endured," from tolerare "to tolerate" (see toleration). Meaning "moderate, middling, not bad" is recorded from 1540s. Related: Tolerably.