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

• bearable
• endurable
• sufferable
• supportable
• sustainable

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

The distorted memories actually helped some wives feel more satisfied with their current relationship, suggesting that our brains sometimes rewrite the past to make the present more tolerable, or more meaningful. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025

The tolerable upper intake of vitamin D for adults is 4,000 IU per day, according to the National Institutes for Health. —Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 28 May 2025

The highest and safest tolerable dose for vitamin D3 in all adults is 4,000 IU (100 micrograms). —Health, 20 May 2025

Briefly: Robinson’s character, Craig Waterman, has reached middle age as the barely tolerable sum of his parts. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 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