tolerant

adjective

ˈtä-lə-rənt How to pronounce tolerant (audio)
Definition of tolerantnext
1
as in patient
accepting pains or hardships calmly or without complaint this job requires a tolerant person who is used to dealing with complaints and angry customers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in resigned
receiving or enduring without offering resistance a tolerant acceptance of the terrible way that his wife has always treated him

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 tolerant Investors can be more tolerant, leaning on the 200-day at $331. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026 Boxwood is generally easy to grow and cold-tolerant, meaning its leaves stay on the plant year-round. — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 5 Aug. 2026 But the unexpected, undeniable centerpiece is their backyard’s strikingly lush, drought-tolerant native lawn that invites people and pets alike to unwind. — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 Outside, visitors may notice new drought tolerant landscaping, new signage and a resurfaced parking lot. — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tolerant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tolerant
  1. patient
  2. resigned
  3. stoic
  4. obedient
  5. passive
  6. acquiescent
Adjective
  • Seventy years of patient investment in exchanges have produced an alumni network no other country can match.
    — James K. Glassman, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The Charlotte native was humble and patient, his coach previously told the Observer, and in 2013 became an All-American defensive lineman at JCSU — a title the school hadn’t seen since 2008.
    — Julia Coin August 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of patient
Adjective
  • There’s no wonder or dread in this future — just the resigned acceptance that nothing is remarkable, despite all the nifty gadgets everyone has.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
  • Liz Alvarado skillfully broadens this figure from a resigned, knowing older woman committed to marrying for security, to believably revealing dormant feelings within her that tamped down her first-and-only true enamorado Diego.
    — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 12 May 2026
Definition of resigned
Adjective
  • Even more shocking is Annie’s encounter with Ramona(Amélie Hoeferle), the stoic and standoffish redhead who looks exactly like Annie’s dead mom and who insists Gordon was also her grandfather.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The Northern Irish temperament is stoic to the point of obstinance.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026
Definition of stoic
Adjective
  • The native, late summer-blooming obedient plant is a showy addition to your garden.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2026
  • This fantasy of the obedient wife becomes Agamemnon’s undoing.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026
Definition of obedient
Adjective
  • Watching television is a cognitively passive activity because viewers are primarily receiving information rather than actively processing it.
    — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • In a hushed environment, the buds' passive isolation is often sufficient.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of passive
Adjective
  • Where Raphael’s infant Christ is plump, acquiescent, docile, Cassatt’s children squirm, resist, and ignore authority.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
  • That amendment had been made a dead letter by Jim Crow state legislatures and an acquiescent Supreme Court.
    — Robert D. Bland, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
Definition of acquiescent

Browse Nearby Words

tolerance
tolerant
tolerantly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tolerant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tolerant. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on tolerant

Nglish: Translation of tolerant for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All