Forbearance
n.calm, kindformal
What it means
Patient self-control when facing annoyance or difficulty.
Reach for it when praising patient self-control in the face of provocation or difficulty
His forbearance kept the crowded meeting respectful and useful.
Choose between these
6- everyday
management of one's reaction deserves direct praise
not when Self-control can be cold and says nothing about patience toward others.
- warm
calm waiting is the main virtue
not when Patience need not involve resisting anger or retaliation.
- professional
an impulse is deliberately controlled
not when Restraint can be externally imposed and lacks patient goodwill.
- professional
difference or discomfort is endured
not when Tolerance may stop at endurance without forgiveness.
- formal
a person with authority chooses a milder response
not when Leniency concerns penalties, not endurance of annoyance.
- literary
long-suffering
prolonged difficulty is borne without complaint
not when Long-suffering suggests hardship and can romanticize mistreatment.
Said against
3- impatience
- retaliation
- intolerance
It naturally appears in
3- show forbearance
The chair continued to show forbearance during repeated interruptions.
- remarkable forbearance
She answered the accusation with remarkable forbearance.
- exercise forbearance
Both neighbors agreed to exercise forbearance while repairs continued.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English noun sense: patient restraint opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.