intolerableness
Definition
Noun: The state or quality of being intolerable; that which cannot be endured or accepted due to extreme unpleasantness, severity, or offensiveness.
Usage Examples
- (The extreme and unbearable quality of the temperature.)
- (The unacceptable and offensive nature of his actions.)
- (The severity of the discomfort that could no longer be tolerated.)
Advanced Usage
"the intolerableness of something": used to emphasize the degree to which a situation or condition is beyond what can be tolerated.
- The intolerableness of the political oppression led to widespread protests. (The unbearable quality of the repression.)
"to reach a point of intolerableness": to become so severe that it can no longer be tolerated.
- The noise from the construction site reached a point of intolerableness for the residents. (The noise became completely unacceptable.)
Variants and Related Words
Intolerable (adj): impossible to tolerate or endure.
- The living conditions were intolerable. (They were not acceptable.)
Intolerably (adv): in a way that is impossible to tolerate.
- He behaved intolerably at the meeting. (His behavior was unacceptable.)
Intolerance (n): unwillingness to accept views, beliefs, or behavior that differ from one's own.
- Religious intolerance can lead to conflict. (Unacceptance of other faiths.)
Synonyms
- Unbearableness: the quality of being too painful or difficult to endure.
- Insufferableness: the quality of being too extreme or unpleasant to tolerate.
- Unendurableness: the quality of being impossible to continue or withstand.
Related Idioms
Beyond the pale: outside the bounds of what is acceptable.
- His cruelty was beyond the pale. (It was completely intolerable.)
The last straw: the final problem in a series that makes a situation unbearable.
- The constant lateness was the last straw. (It made the situation intolerable.)