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
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
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
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
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
-
The General Assembly has given Mecklenburg County permission to put a referendum on the ballot to raise the county’s sales tax to fund road, rail and bus projects.—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Run with permission of the author, courtesy of Bloomsbury Continuum, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Radio and television were alleged to have similar effects on the patience of their listeners and viewers, respectively, and this led teachers to say that their students could no longer sit through lectures.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Because of the high draft capital spent on the preseason standout, patience is wearing thin.—
Brad Evans,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Even if devices are turned off, the system can generate information from other active WiFi devices in the environment, revealing presence and movement without consent.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Other information about the winner is released only with the winner's consent.—
Steven Martinez,
jsonline.com,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Building intergenerational wealth requires a disciplined approach to investing in line with your risk tolerance.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Together, the trio's discoveries lay a crucial foundation for understanding another way our immune system keeps itself in check, known as peripheral tolerance — a key to understanding why some people suffer from certain autoimmune diseases while others don't.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Equity members have already voted in favor of a strike authorization.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
18 Oct. 2025
-
This practice has led some US lawmakers to push for repealing these authorizations, as Congress looks to wrestle back some authority over war powers and foreign policy.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sufferance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sufferance. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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