intolerable
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
too bad, difficult, or painful to deal with.
incapable of being borne or endured; describing a situation that has exceeded the limit of a person's patience or physical capacity.
Simple“The heat in the small room became intolerable after the air conditioner broke.”
In context“The working conditions at the factory had become intolerable, eventually forcing the staff to organize a formal protest against the management.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
so rude or offensive that it cannot be accepted.
extremely offensive, insulting, or socially unacceptable in a way that demands a reaction or rejection.
Simple“His intolerable behavior at the dinner party embarrassed everyone at the table.”
In context“The minister faced calls for his resignation after making a series of intolerable remarks regarding the local community.”
Synonyms
“Fernando Clavijo, head of the Canary Islands government, posted on X: "It is intolerable that lives continue to be lost.”
Inherited from Middle English intolerable, borrowed from Middle French intolerable, from Latin intolerābilis. By surface analysis, in- + tolerable.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.