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
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
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
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
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
—Thomas Jefferson Et Al, Cincinnati.com, 4 July 2018
Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
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
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
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
—Thomas Jefferson Et Al, Cincinnati.com, 4 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sufferance
Noun
-
Prince William has also sought the permission of Miss Middleton's father.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Hunter will wear No. 12 and Ward was given permission to wear No. 1 by legendary Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon.—
Brooks Peck,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
However much time a team spends in the wild, Gregory told IndieWire that the key to grabbing successful footage from that one percent of animal time is not patience.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Neal runs with a nice blend of patience and decisiveness to choose the right lanes and maximize each carry.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In one controversial use case, UK rail operator Network Rail reportedly sent video data of passengers to Amazon’s emotional analytics service without gathering their consent.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Customers were also allegedly enrolled without their consent and were charged before the billing date.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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That business model has pushed Roku to experiment with new ways of showing ads that test users’ tolerance.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2025
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Its salt tolerance, the authors suggest, was lost in later alligators but maintained in crocodiles.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Universities and the government use the database to track foreign students and students rely on it for their authorization to remain in the country.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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Synthetic Food Dyes to Be Phased Out The FDA plans to revoke authorization of two synthetic food colorings—Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B—within the next few months.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sufferance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sufferance. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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