intolerable

adjective

in·​tol·​er·​a·​ble (ˌ)in-ˈtä-lə-rə-bəl 

-ˈtäl-rə-,

-ˈtä-lər-bəl

1

: not tolerable : unbearable

intolerable pain

2

: excessive

intolerability

(ˌ)in-ˌtä-lə-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

-ˌtäl-rə-

-ˌtä-lər-

noun

intolerableness

(ˌ)in-ˈtä-lə-rə-bəl-nəs 

-ˈtäl-rə-

-ˈtä-lər-bəl-

noun

intolerably

(ˌ)in-ˈtä-lə-rə-blē 

-ˈtäl-rə-

-ˈtä-lər-blē

adverb

Synonyms

• insufferable
• insupportable
• unbearable
• unendurable
• unsupportable

Examples of intolerable in a Sentence

She divorced him on the grounds of intolerable cruelty.

this stifling heat is intolerable

Recent Examples on the Web

Even as Robert Aramayo has grown on me as Elrond, Clark’s Galadriel has become more and more intolerable with every episode. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024

State of play: The pressure to step aside as a candidate has been rising to intolerable levels, especially over the past few days. —Axios, 18 July 2024

And then, in these circles, there was obviously a form of complacency, of omertà, of habits that had been established and that are intolerable. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024

As the war grows bloodier and more intolerable, the protest movement on campuses has grown increasingly radical. —David Goldman, CNN, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin intolerabilis, from in- + tolerabilis tolerable

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

intolerable

adjective

in·​tol·​er·​a·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈtäl-(ə-)rə-bəl 

-ˈtäl-ər-bəl

: not tolerable : unbearable

intolerable pain

intolerability

(ˌ)in-ˌtäl-(ə-)rə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

intolerably

(ˈ)in-ˈtäl-(ə-)rə-blē 

-ˈtäl-ər-blē

adverb