intolerance
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the refusal to accept people who have different beliefs, backgrounds, or ways of life.
an unwillingness to accept views, beliefs, or lifestyles that differ from one's own. Uncountable in this abstract sense.
Simple“The community worked hard to fight religious intolerance and bring people together.”
In context“The rise of political intolerance in the region has made it increasingly difficult for moderate voices to participate in public debate.”
Antonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a condition where your body has trouble digesting a specific food or reacting to a drug.
a physiological inability to digest or process a particular substance, such as a food or medication, without adverse effects. Often countable when referring to specific types.
Simple“Since she has a lactose intolerance, she uses almond milk in her coffee.”
In context“Patients with a known intolerance to gluten must be extremely cautious when dining out, as even trace amounts can cause significant discomfort.”
PitfallHe has an intolerance for milk. He has an intolerance to milk.In a medical context, we usually say someone has an intolerance 'to' a substance, not 'for' it.
Synonyms
“The majority of the world is unable to process the lactose in milk without uncomfortable symptoms Olga Miltsova/iStock via Getty Images Plus Lactose intolerance makes drinking milk or eating ice cream a literal pain.”
Borrowed from French intolérance, itself from in- (“not”) + tolérance or borrowed from Latin intolerantia (“insolence, insufferableness; (very rare) intolerance”). By surface analysis, in- + tolerance.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.