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

• endurable
• sustainable
• bearable
• sufferable

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

Digestive Issues Probiotics are tolerable for most people. —Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2025

But those things don’t add up to make the Countryman’s problems become tolerable quirks. —New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025

Side effects can vary too, sometimes making one medication more tolerable than the another. —Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025

Even though the weather is much more tolerable than in the hot summer months, once that fall feeling arrives, the end of mowing the grass for the year is in sight. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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