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 fact of not having slept turns out to be tolerable. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025

This also goes for the fit width-wise, which plays a role in how tolerable different pressure levels are. —New Atlas, 18 Jan. 2025

However, his ability at the plate makes his poor defense tolerable. —Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025

Carter pounced on the opportunity and went far beyond what liberals found tolerable. —Paul Matzko / Made By History, TIME, 29 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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