intolerable

/in'tɔlərəbl/

Thân thiện

The noise from the construction site became intolerable by midday.

Definition

Adjective: 1. Too bad, severe, or extreme to be accepted or endured; unbearable. This describes something so unpleasant, painful, or offensive that it cannot be tolerated. - The heat in the desert was intolerable. - She found his constant criticism intolerable.

Usage

The adjective "intolerable" is used to describe situations, conditions, behaviors, or feelings that are beyond the limits of what someone can or should have to bear. It expresses a strong sense of injustice, discomfort, or outrage. - It typically comes before a noun (e.g., intolerable pain, intolerable situation) or after a linking verb like "be," "become," or "seem" (e.g., The noise became intolerable). - It is a formal and strong word, often used in serious contexts.

Examples

• Describing a situation:
  • The waiting time at the clinic was intolerable.
  • Living under such oppressive laws became intolerable for the population.
• Describing a physical sensation:
  • The toothache was intolerable, so I went to the dentist immediately.
• Describing behavior:
  • His arrogance is intolerable.

Advanced Usage

• "to find something intolerable": To consider something unbearable.
  • Many employees found the new policies intolerable and decided to leave.
• Used in formal writing or speech to emphasize an unacceptable condition.
  • The report highlighted the intolerable living conditions in the overcrowded camp.

Variants and Related Words

• Intolerably (adverb): In an unbearable manner.
  • The summer was intolerably hot.
• Intolerance (noun): Unwillingness to accept views, beliefs, or behavior that differ from one's own; also, an inability to eat a food or take a drug without adverse effects.
  • Religious intolerance has caused many conflicts.
  • Lactose intolerance is common.

Synonyms

• Unbearable: Too unpleasant or painful to endure.
• Insufferable: Too extreme to bear; intolerable (often used for people or their behavior).
• Unendurable: Incapable of being endured.
• Oppressive: Unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint.

Antonyms

• Tolerable: Able to be endured.
• Bearable: Capable of being endured.
• Acceptable: Able to be agreed on; suitable.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• Beyond the pale: So unacceptable that it is considered outside the boundaries of civilized behavior (similar in strength to "intolerable").
  • His comments were beyond the pale.
• The last/final straw: The last of a series of annoyances or problems that makes a situation intolerable.
  • When he was late for the third time, it was the final straw.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. incapable of being put up with
   • an intolerable degree of sentimentality

Từ đồng nghĩa

• unbearable
• unendurable