tolerable

adjective tol·er·a·ble \ ˈtä-lə-rə-bəl , ˈtäl-rə- ; ˈtä-lər-bəl \

Definition of tolerable

1 :capable of being borne or endured

tolerable pain

2 :moderately good or agreeable :passable

a tolerable singing voice

—

tolerability

play \ˌtä-lə-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē, ˌtäl-rə-\ noun

—

tolerably

play \ˈtä-lə-rə-blē, ˈtäl-rə-; ˈtä-lər-blē\ adverb

See tolerable defined for English-language learners

See tolerable defined for kids

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 of tolerable from the Web

Ineffectiveness, though, is even less tolerable than incoherence.

— david l. bahnsen, National Review, "A Profound Tension Point for Conservatives," 21 Aug. 2017
The ugly: Salmon Run mode is tolerable at best and an imbalanced slog at worst.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Splatoon 2 redeems the most clever online shooter series in years," 18 July 2017
Even The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales may be more tolerable than some of these.

— todd mccarthy, The Hollywood Reporter, "Critic's Notebook: On Tentpole Turkeys, Franchise Fatigue and Blockbuster Imitators, Then and Now," 14 July 2017
These symptoms initially may be tolerable, but dehydration can quickly progress.

— barbara gordon, idahostatesman, "Hydrate or die — recreating in extreme heat is no joke," 10 July 2017
Others rely on naproxen or other NSAIDs to make hard exercise more tolerable.

— gretchen reynolds, New York Times, "Bring On the Exercise, Hold the Painkillers," 5 July 2017
Not quite a windows-open type of night, but slightly ebbing humidity should feel more tolerable than recently.

— a. camden walker, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Heat and humidity build today, persist through Independence Day," 30 June 2017
The monsoons won't deliver tolerable temperatures Expect readings to top 100 until at least September, sometimes October.

— weldon b. johnson, USA TODAY, "Why Phoenix gets so hot in June," 19 June 2017
The breeze kept conditions more tolerable over the weekend, Schmidt said, but the humidity is supposed to rise for the rest of the week's heatwave.

— mike danahey, Elgin Courier-News, "Area pools, police, fire deal with heatwave," 12 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tolerable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of tolerable

15th century

tolerable Synonyms

Synonyms

endurable, sufferable, supportable, sustainable, bearable

TOLERABLE Defined for English Language Learners

tolerable

adjective

Definition of tolerable for English Language Learners

: unpleasant but able to be accepted or tolerated
: good enough to be accepted but not very good

TOLERABLE Defined for Kids

tolerable

adjective tol·er·a·ble \ ˈtä-lə-rə-bəl \

Definition of tolerable for Students

1 :capable of being put up with

I still have pain, but it's tolerable.

2 :fairly good

tolerable weather

—

tolerably

\-blē\ adverb

Learn More about tolerable

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tolerable Spanish Central: Translation of tolerable Nglish: Translation of tolerable for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up tolerable? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

tolerable

Definition of tolerable

tolerability

tolerably

Explore M-W

Examples of tolerable in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tolerable from the Web

First Known Use of tolerable

tolerable Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

TOLERABLE Defined for English Language Learners

tolerable

Definition of tolerable for English Language Learners

TOLERABLE Defined for Kids

tolerable

Definition of tolerable for Students

tolerably

Learn More about tolerable

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066