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tolerance

n. · v.
US //ˈtɑɫɝəns// UK //tˈɒləɹəns// tol·er·ance
  1. 1 social acceptance (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the ability to accept the feelings, habits, or beliefs of other people, even if you do not agree with them.

    the capacity for or practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others. Uncountable in this abstract social sense.

    Example

    The city is famous for its religious tolerance and diverse population.

    Example

    Promoting a culture of mutual tolerance is essential for maintaining social cohesion in increasingly multicultural urban environments.
  2. 2 physical resistance (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    the ability of your body to handle a drug, a poison, or pain without being affected as much as before.

    the power or capacity of an organism to resist the effects of a drug, toxin, or environmental stressor through prior exposure.

    Example

    After taking the medication for a year, he developed a tolerance to it.

    Example

    The patient's high tolerance for sedatives required the anesthesiologist to adjust the dosage significantly during the procedure.
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  1. 3 technical margin of error (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Science

    the amount that a measurement is allowed to vary from the perfect size.

    the permissible limit or limits of variation in a physical dimension or a measured value. Countable when referring to specific measurements.

    Example

    The parts must be made with a tolerance of less than one millimeter.

    Example

    The aerospace components were manufactured to extremely tight tolerances to ensure they would fit perfectly under extreme thermal expansion.
  2. 4 endurance (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

    the ability to suffer through pain or hardship for a long time.

    the capacity to endure hardship or pain; synonymous with endurance in older texts.

    Example

    The explorer showed great tolerance for the freezing cold of the mountains.

    Example

    His legendary tolerance for physical suffering allowed him to survive weeks in the wilderness with minimal supplies.
  3. 5 to engineer for error (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

    to design a part or material so it has a specific allowed margin of error.

    to design or engineer a component to a specified technical tolerance. Transitive use.

    Example

    The engineers had to tolerance the engine parts very carefully.

    Example

    When designing the bridge, the architects had to tolerance the steel beams to account for significant seasonal temperature fluctuations.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English toleraunce, borrowed from Old French tolerance, from Latin tolerantia (“endurance”), from tolerāns, present participle of, and participial adjective from Latin tolerō (“to endure”).

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