Meanings
- uncountableThe strict policy of enforcing law(s) or the rule(s), and allowing no toleration or compromise even for first-time offenders or petty violations.
1 more example
I get weary of this zero tolerance bullshit. It's annoying. To begin with, it's a fascist concept; it's what Hitler and Stalin practiced. It allows for no exceptions or compassion of any kind. All is black and white—no gradations. But even more important, it doesn't solve anything. The use of such a slogan simply allows whichever company, school or municipality is using it to claim they're doing something about a problem when, in fact, nothing is being done at all and the problem is being ignored. It's a cosmetic non-solution designed to impress simpletons. Whenever you hear the phrase zero tolerance, remember, someone is bullshitting you.
2004, George Carlin, “ZERO TOLERANCE”, in When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 84
Translations
Chinese Cantonese 零容忍
- 零容忍 (ling⁴ jung⁴ jan²)strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Chinese Mandarin 零容忍
- 零容忍 (língróngrěn)strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Danish nultolerance
- nultolerancestrict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Dutch nultolerantie
- nultolerantiestrict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Esperanto nula toleremo
- nula toleremostrict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Finnish nollatoleranssi
- nollatoleranssistrict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
French tolérance zéro
- tolérance zérostrict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
German Nulltoleranz
- Nulltoleranzstrict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Greek μηδενική ανοχή
- μηδενική ανοχή (midenikí anochí)strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Japanese ゼロトレランス
- ゼロトレランス (zerotoreransu)strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Norwegian Bokmål nulltoleranse
- nulltoleransestrict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Polish zerowa tolerancja
- zerowa tolerancjastrict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Russian нулева́я терпи́мость, нулева́я толера́нтность
- нулева́я терпи́мость (nulevája terpímostʹ)strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
- нулева́я толера́нтность (nulevája tolerántnostʹ)strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Spanish cero tolerancia
- cero toleranciastrict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Swedish nolltolerans
- nolltoleransstrict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Ukrainian нульова́ толера́нтність, нульова́ терпи́мість
- нульова́ толера́нтність (nulʹová tolerántnistʹ)strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
- нульова́ терпи́мість (nulʹová terpýmistʹ)strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules
Cite this entry
zero tolerance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zero%20tolerance
“zero tolerance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zero%20tolerance. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zero tolerance,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zero%20tolerance.
Source: zero tolerance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.