Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

tolerable

[tol-er-uh-buh l]
See more synonyms for tolerable on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. capable of being tolerated; endurable: His arrogance is no longer tolerable.
  2. fairly good; not bad.
  3. Informal. in fair health.
Show More

Origin of tolerable

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin tolerābilis, equivalent to tolerā(re) to endure + -bilis -ble
Related formstol·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, nounnon·tol·er·a·bly, adverbun·tol·er·a·ble, adjectiveun·tol·er·a·ble·ness, nounun·tol·er·a·bly, adverb

Synonyms

See more synonyms for tolerable on Thesaurus.com
1. bearable, supportable. 2. passable, middling, indifferent, so-so.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for untolerable

tolerable

adjective
  1. able to be tolerated; endurable
  2. permissible
  3. informal fairly good
Show More
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 untolerable

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.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper