tolerable

1 of 2

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

tolerability

2 of 2

noun

tol·​er·​a·​bil·​i·​ty ˌtäl(ə)rəˈbilətē 

ˌtälərˈb-, 

-lətē, 

-i

: the quality or state of being tolerable

Synonyms of tolerable

Adjective

• endurable
• bearable
• sustainable
• sufferable

Examples of tolerable in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

The charging-time penalty the new method imposes could be less than three seconds per session—a pretty tolerable penalty for a potential gain of two or three extra years of useful battery life. —IEEE Spectrum, 17 June 2026

Siegel points out that the lower 4 mg retatrutide dose yielded a 19 percent body weight reduction, with a significantly lower rate of discontinuation, suggesting this may be a more tolerable option for many. —Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 8 June 2026

That failure was tolerable when discovery moved at human pace. —Yonesy Nunez, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Weaning Orson off the tincture drops will go a long way toward making that character more tolerable. —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 24 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

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