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

Here are the pieces of disaster gear that made the last couple of weeks without first-world amenities so much more tolerable. —Graham Averill, Outside Online, 31 Oct. 2024

Best Amazon Comfy Clothes and Shoes Deals Uncomfortable clothes can make an otherwise tolerable flight an unbearable nightmare. —Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 7 Oct. 2024

The average temperature for the year is almost certain to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels — surpassing what scientists say is the threshold for tolerable warming. —Sarah Kaplan, Washington Post, 23 July 2024

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

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