tolerant

[tol-er-uhnt]

adjective

1. inclined or disposed to tolerate; showing tolerance; forbearing.

   tolerant of errors.

2. favoring toleration.

   a tolerant church.

3. Medicine/Medical, Immunology.

   1. able to endure or resist the action of a drug, poison, etc.

   2. lacking or exhibiting low levels of immune response to a normally immunogenic substance.

tolerant

/ ˈtɒlərənt /

adjective

1. able to tolerate the beliefs, actions, opinions, etc, of others

2. permissive

3. able to withstand extremes, as of heat and cold

4. med (of a patient) exhibiting tolerance to a drug

Other Word Forms

• tolerantly adverb
• nontolerant adjective
• nontolerantly adverb
• overtolerant adjective
• overtolerantly adverb
• quasi-tolerant adjective
• quasi-tolerantly adverb
• self-tolerant adjective
• self-tolerantly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of tolerant¹

First recorded in 1770–80; from Latin tolerant-, stem of tolerāns “bearing,” present participle of tolerāre “to bear”; tolerate

Example Sentences

"It's also important to be tolerant, understanding and never stop working at it."

From BBC

“You want to know what’s happening? Act civilized, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region.”

From Los Angeles Times

By testing those corals, researchers can assess which ones are more tolerant to higher temperatures.

From BBC

I’m from the ’60s — the hippie era — when young people were much more unified in the sense that everybody should be equal and everyone should be tolerant and respectful of each other.

From Los Angeles Times

“They’re a pretty rugged, tolerant species. They can handle harsh conditions,” Smith said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• forgiving 
• humane 
• lenient 
• liberal 
• permissive 
• progressive 
• receptive 
• sympathetic