intolerant

adjective

in·​tol·​er·​ant (ˌ)in-ˈtä-lə-rənt 

-ˈtäl-rənt

1

: unable or unwilling to endure

2

a

: unwilling to grant equal freedom of expression especially in religious matters

b

: unwilling to grant or share social, political, or professional rights : bigoted

3

: exhibiting physiological intolerance

lactose intolerant

intolerantly adverb

intolerantness noun

Synonyms of intolerant

• impatient
• complaining

Examples of intolerant in a Sentence

intolerant of fools, she is not an easy person to work for

intolerant people who callously deny others the very rights that they take for granted

Recent Examples on the Web

The Gaza protests had been galvanizing for Republicans, who, even before October 7th, had viewed universities as captured by radical thinking on race and politics, rife with grade inflation, and intolerant of conservatives. —Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026

Plants are intolerant of dry summer soil, making summer a stressful time for planting. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2026

Coyotes are naturally more intolerant of dogs and humans when pups are on the line. —Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 9 Apr. 2026

The flat logistic curve that makes the rising tide gradual also means the final climb toward 99%-plus reliability is a long one, a meaningful buffer for error-intolerant professions in law, medicine, and engineering. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1735, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing intolerant

• lactose intolerant

Rhymes for intolerant

• tolerant

Kids Definition

intolerant

adjective

in·​tol·​er·​ant (ˈ)in-ˈtäl-(ə-)rənt 

1

: unable or unwilling to endure

2

: unwilling to grant equality, freedom, or other social rights

intolerantly adverb

Medical Definition

intolerant

adjective

in·​tol·​er·​ant

(ˈ)in-ˈtäl(-ə)-rənt

: exhibiting physiological intolerance : unable to properly metabolize or absorb a substance

People who are lactose intolerant cannot digest lactose because their small intestines do not produce enough lactase, the enzyme that breaks lactose down …

—Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue