tolerable

adjective

ˈtä-lə-rə-bəl How to pronounce tolerable (audio)
Definition of tolerablenext
1
as in endurable
capable of being endured stubbing your toe is at least a more tolerable pain than breaking your foot

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in adequate
of a level of quality that meets one's needs or standards the accommodations are tolerable though not exactly luxurious

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 tolerable Faucets are regularly tested, and those with lead-laden water — there is no such thing as a tolerable level — are replaced. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026 These are far more tolerable conclusions to reach than, say, the idea that credentialing has no business sharing a venue with coming of age, or that undergraduate education is at odds with the mission of a research institution. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026 Looking back on a summer marked by drought and forest fires in Europe, Romay said the weather at Inditex headquarters in the Galicia region in Spain had been tolerable. — Ellen Groves, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026 So far, the costs of the mutual blockade have been tolerable for the United States. — James F. Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tolerable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tolerable
  1. endurable
  2. adequate
  3. bearable
  4. decent
  5. sustainable
  6. satisfactory
  7. fine
  8. good
Adjective
  • Two people with divergent intuitions about what’s normal, or endurable, can end up tussling over the same territory.
    — Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 15 July 2026
  • Recognizing this makes the feeling more endurable.
    — Daniel Smith, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2026
Definition of endurable
Adjective
  • For Americans in rural communities, getting adequate health treatment has often been an uphill battle.
    — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Those criteria include having an adequate footprint, ground seismology and access to large quantities of water.
    — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of adequate
Adjective
  • Humidity levels will be increasing throughout the day, but still bearable.
    — Steven Sosna, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The Backyard was packed two hours ahead of game time, and the overcast skies made for a more bearable pregame atmosphere.
    — AJC.com, AJC.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of bearable
Adjective
  • While the price can be inhibiting for some — with chef pants priced as high as $190 and jackets as much as $210, the price of a decent knife or other cooking tools — Argoti feels the heavy usage justifies the cost for him.
    — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The other was a decent man constantly being tormented by God in order to test his faith.
    — Chuck Lorre, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of decent
Adjective
  • There, local fishermen demonstrated their sustainable crayfish harvesting process, and as a spectacular touch, the helicopter lifted one of the crayfish tanks straight out of the ocean, giving our client a dramatic view of the abundant catch.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
  • This is not sustainable; when one link is weakened, the entire chain is at risk of collapse.
    — Scott Peyton, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of sustainable
Adjective
  • After months of negotiations failed to yield a satisfactory agreement, the union approved strike action earlier this month in a vote held in tandem with unions at the Brooklyn Museum and American Folk Art Museum.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The effort displayed by Kansas’ 14 men’s basketball players at Bill Self’s 24th annual Boot Camp proved satisfactory to the Hall of Fame Jayhawks coach.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of satisfactory
Adjective
  • Thinner fibers would allow researchers to embed more sensing elements into garments, potentially capturing finer details of body movement.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The new songs on Live at Carnegie Hall are some of Winter’s very finest.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of fine
Adjective
  • Lucy’s constant sense of invention sometimes falters under the album’s new, megawatt spotlight, lacking the enticing mystery that gives their best music its power.
    — H.D. Angel, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Among those surveyed, Latinos who didn’t vote in 2024 were more likely than those who had voted to have economic frustrations, like struggling to earn enough money or find a good job.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of good

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Cite this Entry

“Tolerable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tolerable. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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