tolerant
/'tɔlərənt/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Willing to accept behavior, beliefs, or opinions that are different from one's own; showing a lack of prejudice: This is the primary meaning, describing a person who is open-minded and respectful of diversity.
- Able to endure or withstand something unpleasant or difficult without being harmed: This meaning describes the capacity of a person, organism, or material to withstand adverse conditions.
- Exhibiting patience and forgiveness, especially when provoked: This describes a character trait of being forbearing and lenient.
Usage Examples
- Describing open-mindedness:
- She is very tolerant of other people's religious beliefs.
- A tolerant society welcomes cultural diversity.
- Describing endurance or resistance:
- This grass species is tolerant of drought.
- Some bacteria have become tolerant to certain antibiotics.
- Describing patience and forgiveness:
- He was remarkably tolerant of the constant noise from the construction site.
- Parents need to be tolerant of their children's mistakes.
Advanced Usage
- "Tolerant of": This is the standard preposition used with "tolerant" to indicate what is being accepted or endured.
- The community is surprisingly tolerant of new ideas.
- These plants are tolerant of poor soil conditions.
- In a technical or medical context, "tolerant" can describe a state of reduced reactivity.
- The patient became tolerant to the medication, requiring a higher dose.
Variants and Related Words
- Tolerate (verb): To allow or endure something.
- I cannot tolerate such rude behavior.
- Tolerance (noun): The quality or state of being tolerant.
- The school promotes tolerance and understanding.
- Intolerant (adjective): The opposite of tolerant; unwilling to accept differences.
- His intolerant views were widely criticized.
Synonyms
- Broad-minded: Willing to accept many different types of behavior or opinions.
- Open-minded: Receptive to new and different ideas.
- Forbearing: Patient and self-controlled, especially in the face of provocation.
- Resistant (for the endurance meaning): Not affected or harmed by something.
Related Phrases
- Live and let live: An idiom expressing a tolerant attitude, meaning to accept other people's differences without interference.
- My philosophy is to live and let live.
- Turn a blind eye: To pretend not to notice something wrong or bad, which can be an act of tolerance (or indifference).
- The manager turned a blind eye to the minor infraction.
Notes on Meaning
The word "tolerant" often implies a conscious choice or a cultivated attitude of acceptance. It does not necessarily mean one agrees with the differing behavior or opinion, but that one chooses to allow it to exist without opposition. In a biological context, it is a neutral term describing a capacity for survival under stress.
Adjective
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showing the capacity for endurance
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injustice can make us tolerant and forgiving
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a man patient of distractions
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able to tolerate environmental conditions or physiological stress
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the plant is tolerant of saltwater
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these fish are quite tolerant as long as extremes of pH are avoided
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the new hybrid is more resistant to drought
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showing or characterized by broad-mindedness
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a broad political stance
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generous and broad sympathies
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a liberal newspaper
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tolerant of his opponent's opinions
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tolerant and forgiving under provocation
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our neighbor was very kind about the window our son broke
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showing respect for the rights or opinions or practices of others
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