sufferance

noun

ˈsə-f(ə-)rən(t)s How to pronounce sufferance (audio)
Definition of sufferancenext
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

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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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sufferance 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 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 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
  1. permission
  2. patience
  3. authorization
  4. tolerance
  5. consent
  6. granting
Noun
  • To make the digital instruction feel authentic, Huang used motion-capture technology to record the movements of real-life dance teachers — with their permission.
    — Chloe Veltman, NPR, 11 July 2026
  • Tommie Brown, a spokesperson for the Jackson, Mississippi, Police Department, told USA TODAY that Flock installed some Raven devices on private property without the knowledge or permission of police or the property owners.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 11 July 2026
Definition of permission
Noun
  • Your adaptable mind spots small fixes quickly, while patience keeps family feelings warm as changes unfold.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026
  • Obama had no patience for Americans who denounced their country for being irredeemably flawed.
    — Mark Brilliant, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Definition of patience
Noun
  • The application for the federal authorization was filed by the Fenner Gap Mutual Water Co.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • After other State Department officials clarified that position, Dutch authorities withdrew the authorization while Machado’s aircraft was already in flight, forcing it to return.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Definition of authorization
Noun
  • For example, a person with a high tolerance with opioids would see reduced tolerance under the drug.
    — Gavin Escott, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • The state’s Holocaust Education Bill, passed in 1994, requires every school district to teach the Holocaust with the explicit aim of building tolerance, nurturing democratic values, and confronting what indifference produces.
    — Masha Pearl, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2026
Definition of tolerance
Noun
  • The autonomous coding tool can send sensitive information to a remote server without a user’s consent, the statement said in Chinese, according to a CNBC translation.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 July 2026
  • News to know now The Supreme Court said Texas can enforce age verification and parental consent requirements for most apps while those rules are being challenged as a free-speech violation.
    — Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of consent
Noun
  • But, as is often the case with these kinds of monkey’s paws, the granting of a wish comes at a great cost—the wishmaker’s life.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 24 Apr. 2026
  • In this age of excess and endless wish granting, self denial becomes a superpower and a necessity.
    — Maggie Anders, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
Definition of granting

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sufferable
sufferance
sufferances
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Cite this Entry

“Sufferance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sufferance. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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