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
-
Still, many members of the church don’t want to stop attending Mass even if leaders give them permission.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
-
Castillo denies that anyone in the department would give approval for the locks to be removed, and the man can’t name the individual who gave him permission, according to Castillo.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Despite her patience, civility, and willingness to compromise, she’s left second-guessing herself.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
6 July 2025
-
And yet his patience had already been tested by the sixty-seven-year-old Mark Geragos, defense attorney to the stars, who was serving as an unofficial adviser to Combs’s legal team.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
This agreement requires final consent from AMC’s term loan lenders.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
1 July 2025
-
However, users in the class action lawsuit claim their Apple devices were recording them without their consent and subsequently sending their information to advertisers who used it to target them with online ads.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
1 July 2025
Noun
-
Both stimulate new growth but this is the time for slow growth so plants adapt to drought tolerance. • Use a sharp spray of water to clean plant leaves of dust, dirt, aphids, white flies and spider mites, whose presence is evident by tiny webs on leaves and stems.—
Nan Sterman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 July 2025
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Although oxygen tends to get most of the attention, this process is closely tied to carbon dioxide tolerance.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
To do so, however, requires authorization by the federal government.—
Chris Sims,
The Courier-Journal,
2 July 2025
-
That was after Trevor’s mom had jumped through hoops to fill out the forms, seek a special exemption and get proper authorization from the insurer, just as Anthem representatives had told her.—
Jeff Suess,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sufferance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sufferance. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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