tolerant

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adjective tol·er·ant \ ˈtä-lə-rənt , ˈtäl-rənt \

Definition of tolerant

1 :inclined to tolerate; especially :marked by forbearance or endurance

tolerant parents

a culture tolerant of religious differences

2 :exhibiting tolerance (as for a drug or an environmental factor)

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tolerantly

adverb

See tolerant defined for English-language learners

See tolerant defined for kids

Examples of tolerant in a Sentence

this job requires a tolerant person who is used to dealing with complaints and angry customers
a tolerant acceptance of the terrible way that his wife has always treated him

Recent Examples of tolerant from the Web

One drought-tolerant fruit tree was added to the mix.

— chris ross, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Succulents are now yard’s main focus," 25 Aug. 2017
Take the heat-tolerant Pineywood breed, one of the earliest dairy breeds to come to the United States with the Spaniards in the 1500s.

— linni kral, The Atlantic, "The Fight for America's Disappearing Ancient Dairy Cows," 22 Aug. 2017
Not surprisingly the survey found that older people were less tolerant of tattoos.

— daniel b. kline, USA TODAY, "Will your piercing or tattoo prevent you from getting your dream job?," 11 Aug. 2017
Khapra beetles are highly tolerant of insecticides and fumigants, and can survive long periods without food.

— chris mondics, Philly.com, "Dangerous grain pest found in bag at PHL," 11 Aug. 2017
That stance also assumes that the world beyond Harvard will be tolerant of this intolerance.

— john sedgwick, Vanities, "What’s Really Behind the Civil War to End Harvard’s Fraternities?," 9 Aug. 2017
These are the laboratories—the places where smart and/or risk-tolerant executives are playing around, trying to figure out what a show or a movie can be in 2017.

— zach baron, GQ, "The New Rules For Making It In Hollywood," 25 July 2017
The project allocates funds to community programs that advance the vision of the project to create a more compassionate, tolerant Palm Beach County.

— randall p. lieberman, Jewish Journal, "Camp Shalom in Palm Beach County teaches tolerance," 21 July 2017
But consumers in the West may hesitate to use self-driving cars that have been trained in a laxer safety environment that is more tolerant of accidents.

— The Economist, "The algorithm kingdomChina may match or beat America in AI," 15 July 2017

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

First Known Use of tolerant

1776

tolerant Synonyms

Synonyms

forbearing, long-suffering, stoic (or stoical), patient, uncomplaining

Antonyms

complaining, fed up, impatient, kvetching, kvetchy, protesting

Near Antonyms

bored, tired, weary; defiant, resistant; contrary, disobedient, insubordinate, intractable, rebellious, recalcitrant, refractory, ungovernable, unmanageable, unruly

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

TOLERANT Defined for English Language Learners

tolerant

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adjective

Definition of tolerant for English Language Learners

: willing to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own
: able to allow or accept something that is harmful, unpleasant, etc.