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 of tolerable

• endurable
• bearable
• sustainable
• 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

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

Most people take about 600 to 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D, but exceeding 4,000 IU—the tolerable upper intake limit—can increase your risk of mild adverse effects. —Mph, Verywell Health, 19 May 2026

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