tolerate
Definitions
To allow or accept something you dislike or disagree with, without trying to stop it
容忍，纵容（不喜欢或不赞同的事而不加阻止）
To endure pain, hardship, or unpleasant conditions without being harmed or giving up
忍受，承受（痛苦、艰难或不适而不受损或放弃）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedtoler (bear, endure) + -ate (verb suffix) = 'to bear.' The image is holding up under a weight without dropping it: you tolerate pain by enduring it, and tolerate a person by 'bearing with' behavior you don't like instead of pushing back.
Root tol still carries 5 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.tolerate pain忍受疼痛
- 2.tolerate differences包容差异
- 3.refuse to tolerate拒绝容忍
- 4.barely tolerate勉强忍受
- 5.will not tolerate绝不容忍
Example Sentences
- 1.
I can tolerate a lot, but I won't tolerate being lied to.
- 2.
Most cacti tolerate long periods without any water.
- 3.
She had learned to tolerate the constant noise from the street.
- 4.
The new policy makes it clear the company will not tolerate harassment.
Easily Confused
tolerate vs endure — Both mean 'bear something hard,' but tolerate often implies a choice to allow something you could oppose (tolerate bad behavior), while endure is purely about getting through suffering with no sense of permission (endure the pain). You tolerate other people's faults; you endure your own hardships.
Synonym Comparison
- tolerate — allow/put up with something you dislike, often with a sense of permission
- endure — get through prolonged suffering or hardship
- bear — withstand, often in the negative: I can't bear it
- stand — informal, usually negative: I can't stand him
- put up with — the everyday phrasal equivalent of tolerate