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

Now the seven most boring, starting with the most tolerable (comments edited for grammar and clarity). — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026

The males make harsh rapid trills that are tolerable for humans at a distance, but can be a bit unpleasant at close range. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Aug. 2026

One Night Only is probably trying to be hopeful and sweet in its suggestion that love can make any nightmarish circumstances tolerable. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026

Tuesday brings the nicest weather of the week in the Philadelphia region with seasonable temperatures, tolerable humidity and sunshine. — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 4 Aug. 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