1
as in permission
the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something
was pointedly reminded that he was at the private beach on sufferance and could be kicked out at any time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in patience
the capacity to endure what is difficult or disagreeable without complaining
spending a whole day with my airheaded sister-in-law is beyond sufferance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sufferance
And Stewart, who is not, now works at their sufferance.
—
David Remnick, New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2025
Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 26 Sep. 2025
Matchday was a sufferance, the opposite of life-affirming.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 10 July 2024
Through his cult of personality, Modi is fulfilling a century-old project, recasting India as a Hindu nation, in which minorities, particularly Muslims, live at the sufferance of the majority.
—Samanth Subramanian Vikas Adam Tanya Pérez Zachary Mouton, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Every page is alive with animus, ardor, humor, sufferance, with venom for death and its posturing acolytes:
Anyone who has not killed is not a man: This sentence, which Hemingway fashioned, means nothing at all.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
The Kirk Douglas, the smallest of the company’s three venues and ostensibly the most experimental, is the scrappy Culver City orphan, living at the sufferance of its older siblings at L.A.’s Music Center.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2023
Air India’s nationalization signaled that in independent India private enterprise would survive on the government’s sufferance.
—Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, 14 Oct. 2021
In the music of Beethoven, there is such an ethical, moral integrity … and power and sufferance.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 10 Sep. 2019
David Remnick, New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2025
Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 26 Sep. 2025
Matchday was a sufferance, the opposite of life-affirming.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 10 July 2024
Through his cult of personality, Modi is fulfilling a century-old project, recasting India as a Hindu nation, in which minorities, particularly Muslims, live at the sufferance of the majority.
—Samanth Subramanian Vikas Adam Tanya Pérez Zachary Mouton, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Every page is alive with animus, ardor, humor, sufferance, with venom for death and its posturing acolytes:
Anyone who has not killed is not a man: This sentence, which Hemingway fashioned, means nothing at all.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
The Kirk Douglas, the smallest of the company’s three venues and ostensibly the most experimental, is the scrappy Culver City orphan, living at the sufferance of its older siblings at L.A.’s Music Center.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2023
Air India’s nationalization signaled that in independent India private enterprise would survive on the government’s sufferance.
—Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, 14 Oct. 2021
In the music of Beethoven, there is such an ethical, moral integrity … and power and sufferance.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 10 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sufferance
Noun
-
The fire truck was crossing the tarmac just before midnight after being given permission to check on another plane that had aborted its takeoff.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Air traffic control had granted the truck permission to cross the runway to a United flight that had reported an odor making flight attendants ill, then seconds later urgently ordered the truck to stop, according to audio from the tower.—
Peter Weber,
TheWeek,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But like most things that sound too good to be true, there’s a catch, and how smoothly things unfold for a tourist in this rugged corner of the world depends on one’s trust, tolerance and patience.—
David Dickstein,
Oc Register,
18 Mar. 2026
-
By the end, the only thing killed is your patience.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike prior authorization, which happens before the patient gets a service, pre-payment review occurs after the service but before reimbursement, while post-payment review could force providers to pay Medicaid back.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The authorization lasts until April 19.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Fort Lauderdale police have stepped up patrols for the city's annual spring break, focusing on maintaining order with a strict no-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol on the beach.—
Bri Buckley,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The tolerance of drugs use led to dealers using Christiania as a base for selling drugs and in turn that led to violent battles by biker gangs for control of that business.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The indictment also stated that Dadig harassed his victims by showing up to their homes and places of business unannounced and uninvited, stalking them, taking and posting photographs of them online without their consent and revealing private details about their lives online.—
Michael Guise,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The act provides ways for a victim to seek relief from being harmed by doxing, or the act of intentionally using another’s personally identifiable information, including social media profiles, without consent with the intent to harass, cause mental anguish or create fear of bodily harm or death.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Regulators have pledged faster turnarounds and the granting of rates that reflect growing wildfire risks to incentivize insurers to expand coverage in high-hazard areas.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The end of the group stage earlier in the week was overshadowed by Iran's departure from the tournament and the granting of asylum to members of the delegation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sufferance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sufferance. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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