tolerant
adjective
tol·er·ant
ˈtä-lə-rənt 
ˈtäl-rənt
1
a
: willing to accept the beliefs, feelings, habits, or behaviors of another group, culture, etc. as legitimate even when they differ from one's own
Despite his strong opinions, he was tolerant enough to be friends with very different kinds of people …—
Ben Sixsmith
Ben SixsmithAmerican society progressed, leaving the bluenose mentality behind. Actually, today's tolerant values, accepting yesterday's outcasts, are more decent, fair, and humane.—James A. Haught
James A. HaughtCertainly the tribal nature of political and social behavior … is a key to understanding the durability of despotic regimes and the absence of tolerant pluralism.—David K. Shipler
—often used with ofDavid K. ShiplerThe eight-term California Republican built a reputation in House leadership … as a friendly backslapper increasingly tolerant of his party's most hardline members.—Michael Warren and Melanie Zanona
Michael Warren and Melanie Zanona
b
: permitting or accepting something (such as a behavior or belief) that one does not like
tolerant parents
—often used with ofWhen it comes to judging friends and lovers, though, people tend not to be so tolerant of contradiction. A lover who betrays us reveals his entire character in a new and damning light. "I thought I knew you!" we cry, in a howl of anger and bewilderment.—Edward Dolnick
Edward DolnickThe southerner is usually tolerant of those weaknesses that proceed from innocence …—Flannery O'Connor
Flannery O'ConnorI am impressed, when I teach in the United States, by the readiness of students and colleagues to perform boring tasks like reading ill-written but essential texts. … British academic life, by contrast, is markedly less tolerant of tedium; French too.—George Watson
George WatsonHolmes was not prone to friendship, but he was tolerant of the big Scotchman, and smiled at the sight of him.—Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle… an intellectual context that was tolerant of barbarism and inhumanity, or even justified it.—Richard Wolin
Richard Wolin2
: exhibiting tolerance (see tolerance sense 4a) for something (such as a drug or an environmental factor)
The goal of allergy shots is to render a person tolerant to an allergen when it is encountered.—Jane E. Brody
Jane E. BrodyThese organisms aren't just cold tolerant, they're freeze resistant.—Robert C. Cowen
Robert C. CowenWhen bacteria become tolerant to these compounds, they sometimes also become less sensitive to certain antibiotic medicines.—Coco Ballantyne
Coco Ballantyne
tolerantly
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of tolerant in a Sentence
this job requires a tolerant person who is used to dealing with complaints and angry customers
a tolerant acceptance of the terrible way that his wife has always treated him
Recent Examples on the Web
Until at least about the mid-1940s, this more permissive culture created a more tolerant climate, at least seasonally, for LGBTQ people, especially those who were white.
—Julio Capó Jr. / Made By History, TIME, 6 Sep. 2024
My husband — a brooding New Yorker, polite and tolerant of much — broke on the seventh day of our family vacation.
—Monica Pitrelli, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2024
The poet should be tolerant, disinterested, clear-eyed about long-standing animosities but not constrained by them.
—Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
The latest headline print was 1.7% versus 10.1% during Truss’s premiership, which economists said would make markets more tolerant of fiscal expansion.
—Jenni Reid, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tolerant 
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Julio Capó Jr. / Made By History, TIME, 6 Sep. 2024
My husband — a brooding New Yorker, polite and tolerant of much — broke on the seventh day of our family vacation.
—Monica Pitrelli, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2024
The poet should be tolerant, disinterested, clear-eyed about long-standing animosities but not constrained by them.
—Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
The latest headline print was 1.7% versus 10.1% during Truss’s premiership, which economists said would make markets more tolerant of fiscal expansion.
—Jenni Reid, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tolerant
Dictionary Entries Near tolerant
Cite this Entry
“Tolerant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tolerant. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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