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

Across southeastern Pennsylvania, critics attacked the new federal levy as unfair, excessive, and politically intolerable. —Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

In the first season, Grace is under the thumb of a truly intolerable husband, John Paul Williams, aka, JP. —Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024

For about a century, the population of the Twin Cities was almost entirely white; now nearly half the residents are people of color, many of them refugees from Somalia or Southeast Asia, a fact that Carlson seems to find intolerable. —Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024

For the Berger family, like so many of Israel's hostage families, it's been a year of intolerable, engulfing fear, loathing and anxiety. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 5 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