tolerable

adjective

tol·​er·​a·​ble ˈtä-lə-rə-bəl 

ˈtäl-rə-;

ˈtä-lər-bəl

1

: capable of being borne or endured

tolerable pain

2

: moderately good or agreeable : passable

a tolerable singing voice

tolerability

ˌtä-lə-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

ˌtäl-rə-

noun

tolerably

ˈtä-lə-rə-blē 

ˈtäl-rə-;

ˈtä-lər-blē

adverb

Synonyms

• bearable
• endurable
• sufferable
• supportable
• sustainable

Examples of tolerable in a Sentence

The heat was tolerable for only a short time.

stubbing your toe is at least a more tolerable pain than breaking your foot

Recent Examples on the Web

The tolerable upper limit (UL) for supplemental magnesium is 350 milligrams (mg) daily for adults. —Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 27 Feb. 2025

Mainly to find out if Druce is named after some obscure aristocratic relation with a large estate that Druce is about to inherit, making his name slightly more tolerable. —Viktoria Shulevich, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2025

Warming oceans, regulations that have created an uptick in striper forage, and milder winters that make fishing tolerable for more anglers have all helped extend the season. —Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 25 Dec. 2024

The tolerable upper level intake (UL) for vitamin A for adults is 3,000 mcg RAE per day. —Elizabeth Barnes, Verywell Health, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tolerable

• intolerable

Kids Definition

tolerable

adjective

tol·​er·​able

ˈtäl-(ə-)rə-bəl,

ˈtäl-ər-bəl

1

: capable of being put up with

tolerable pain

2

: fairly good

a tolerable singing voice

tolerably

-blē

adverb