Meaning & use

tolerance

noun·Academic

The willingness to accept or endure beliefs, behavior, or conditions different from one's own without objecting.

See it in a sentence

The workshop encouraged greater tolerance of different cultural traditions among employees.

Over several years, his tolerance for spicy food increased far more than he expected.

A note on using this word

Tolerance can describe social or emotional acceptance of differences, or, in medicine and engineering, the capacity to endure a substance or withstand variation.

Words with a similar meaning

acceptancepatienceopen-mindedness

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

intoleranceprejudice

Make it your own

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