tolerable

adjective

tol·​er·​a·​ble ˈtä-lə-rə-bəl How to pronounce tolerable (audio)
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 noun
tolerably
ˈtä-lə-rə-blē How to pronounce tolerable (audio)
ˈtäl-rə-;
ˈtä-lər-blē
adverb

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 In the medium term, bitcoin may even save the U.S. from its over-reliance on the power of its money printer, which has caused political and market distortions that are no longer tolerable by a large swath of American voters and international interests. Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 For some voters, the deluge is tolerable—like Kamala Harris supporter Robyn Beyah, who embraces the messages as part of her involvement. Nina Turner, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024 Long walks and runs — which almost always aggravate the heels, knees, and lower back — were noticeably more tolerable with these inserts. Shannon Ullman, Verywell Health, 10 Oct. 2024 A certain level of automation is tolerable in the dockworker industry, according to some European and U.S. union officials. Doyinsola Oladipo, USA TODAY, 5 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tolerable 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tolerable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tolerable was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near tolerable

Cite this Entry

“Tolerable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tolerable. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on tolerable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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