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Tolerance

n. kind, calm professional

What it means

Meaning 1

Willing acceptance of genuine differences without hostility or unfair treatment.

Reach for it when discussing fair coexistence among people with differing identities, beliefs, or practices

Tolerance allowed the council to protect disagreement without permitting harassment.

Meaning 2

Capacity to endure a condition, substance, or strain without serious harm.

Reach for it when describing how much difficulty or exposure a person or system can bear

The seedlings developed greater drought tolerance after deeper watering encouraged strong roots.

Words to choose between 9

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
warm
professional
formal
literary

Meaning 1: Willing acceptance of genuine differences without hostility or unfair treatment.

  • everyday

    open-mindedness

    Fits when willingness to reconsider one's own view matters

    Careful Open-mindedness concerns ideas and may not ensure fair treatment.

  • warm

    acceptance

    Fits when welcome goes beyond mere permission

    Careful Acceptance can imply personal approval, which tolerance does not require.

  • professional

    respect

    Fits when dignified treatment is the standard

    Careful Respect is stronger and more active than merely allowing difference.

  • formal

    forbearance

    Fits when refraining from retaliation or complaint is central

    Careful Forbearance can frame another person as an irritation to be endured.

  • literary

    latitude

    Fits when allowed variation or flexibility is meant

    Careful Latitude describes permission or range, not respect for people or physical endurance.

Meaning 2: Capacity to endure a condition, substance, or strain without serious harm.

  • everyday

    endurance

    Fits when lasting through strain is the plain fact

    Careful Endurance usually describes performance over time, not a threshold before harm.

  • warm

    hardiness

    Fits when robust survival under difficult conditions is meant

    Careful Hardiness suits organisms and constitutions better than precise exposure limits.

  • professional

    resistance

    Fits when a body or material withstands a specific harmful influence

    Careful Resistance implies opposition and is more technical than general tolerance.

  • formal

    threshold

    Fits when the measurable point at which effects begin is central

    Careful Threshold names a boundary, not the continuing capacity below it.

Opposites 4

Common phrases 4

  • religious tolerance

    Religious tolerance protects minority observance as well as private belief.

  • zero tolerance

    A zero tolerance policy can hide important differences between mistakes and abuse.

  • pain tolerance

    Pain tolerance varies and should never replace a patient's own report.

  • drought tolerance

    Drought tolerance improved once the trees developed deeper roots.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, California accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated