Tolerance
n.kind, calmprofessional
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.
Choose between these
5- everyday
when willingness to reconsider one's own view matters
not when Open-mindedness concerns ideas and may not ensure fair treatment.
- warm
when welcome goes beyond mere permission
not when Acceptance can imply personal approval, which tolerance does not require.
- professional
when dignified treatment is the standard
not when Respect is stronger and more active than merely allowing difference.
- formal
when refraining from retaliation or complaint is central
not when Forbearance can frame another person as an irritation to be endured.
- literary
when allowed variation or flexibility is meant
not when 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.
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.
Choose between these
4- everyday
when lasting through strain is the plain fact
not when Endurance usually describes performance over time, not a threshold before harm.
- warm
when robust survival under difficult conditions is meant
not when Hardiness suits organisms and constitutions better than precise exposure limits.
- professional
resistance
when a body or material withstands a specific harmful influence
not when Resistance implies opposition and is more technical than general tolerance.
- formal
threshold
when the measurable point at which effects begin is central
not when Threshold names a boundary, not the continuing capacity below it.
Said against
4- intolerance
- prejudice
- fragility
- sensitivity
It naturally appears in
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.
Where this comes from
- Wiktionary, English noun sense 1: acceptance of differing views or behavior opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Wiktionary, English noun sense 2: capacity to endure continued exposure or hardship opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · 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.