Meanings
comparative more tolerable · superlative most tolerable · alternative obsolete tollerable
- Capable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable.First known use the 15th c.
Synonyms: livable, sufferable, withstandable · Antonyms: intolerable, unendurable
- Moderate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so.First known use 1548
A cabled despatch is better than nothing, but a voicecast of tolerable quality is preferable, and in certain types of story a voicecast with live or recorded actuality is best of all.
1964, European Broadcasting Union, EBU Review: Programmes, Administration, Law, volume 83, page 22Synonyms: lackluster, middling, adequate, good enough, average, comme ci comme ça, crappy, moderate · Antonyms: excellent, terrible
- Such as to be tolerated or countenanced; permissible; allowable.First known use 1531
Synonyms: acceptable, admissible, sufferable, abideable, acceptable, admissible, allowable, permissible · Antonyms: intolerable, unacceptable
comparative more tolerable · superlative most tolerable · alternative obsolete tollerable
- dialectaltolerably; passably; moderately.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable.
adjectiveModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so.
adjectiveSuch as to be tolerated or countenanced; permissible; allowable.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivecapable of being borne or endured
adjectiveabout average; acceptable
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latintolerābilis
- Middle Frenchtolerable
- Middle Englishtolerable
- Englishtolerable
Inherited from Middle English tolerable, borrowed from Middle French tolerable, from Latin tolerābilis.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀνεκτός
- ἀνεκτός (anektós)Capable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
Bulgarian поносим, приемлив
- поносим (ponosim)Capable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- приемлив (priemliv)Moderate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
- приемлив (priemliv)Such as to be tolerated or countenanced; permissible; allowable
- удовлетворителен (udovletvoritelen)In fair health; passably well
Catalan tolerable
- tolerableCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
Czech snesitelný
- snesitelnýCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
Esperanto tolerebla
- tolereblaCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
Finnish siedettävä, välttävä
- siedettäväCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- välttäväModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
- välttäväIn fair health; passably well
French tolérable
- tolérableCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
German erträglich, passabel
- erträglichCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- passabelModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
Greek ανεκτός
- ανεκτός (anektós)Capable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
Hungarian tűrhető
- tűrhetőModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
Irish réasúnta
- réasúntaModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
Italian tollerabile
- tollerabileCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
Latin tolerābilis
- tolerābilisCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
Polish znośny
- znośnyCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
Portuguese tolerável, tolerável
- tolerávelCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- tolerávelModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
- sofrívelModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
- toleradoSuch as to be tolerated or countenanced; permissible; allowable
Romanian tolerabil
- tolerabilCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
Russian выносимый
- выносимый (vynosimyj)Capable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
Scottish Gaelic meadhanach, meadhanach
- meadhanachCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- meadhanachModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
- cuibheasachModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
- meadhanachIn fair health; passably well
Spanish tolerable, soportable
- tolerableCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- soportableCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- llevaderoCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- sufribleCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- aceptableModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
- pasar piolaModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
Swedish tolerabel, dräglig
- tolerabelCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- drägligCapable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- okejModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
- drägligModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
- acceptabelModerate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so
Ukrainian терпи́мий, сте́рпний
- терпи́мий (terpýmyj)Capable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
- сте́рпний (stérpnyj)Capable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable
Cite this entry
tolerable. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tolerable
“tolerable.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tolerable. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tolerable,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tolerable.
Source: tolerable on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.