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 of intolerable

• unbearable

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

Earlier in the year, Chuck Schumer, the Minority Leader, had rallied enough votes to keep the government open and faced a furious backlash from the Democratic base; capitulating again would have been politically intolerable. —Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025

Moscow finds this outcome intolerable, and its only plan to deal with it is to destroy the Ukrainian state. —Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2025

This creates unavoidable and intolerable conflicts of interest that poison the competitive dynamics that healthy markets require. —Asad Ramzanali, Time, 6 Oct. 2025

That is just intolerable sloppiness. —Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for intolerable

• tolerable

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