# tolerance

/ˈtɑɫɝəns/ (US) · /tˈɒləɹəns/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tolerance
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. social acceptance

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

- The city is famous for its religious tolerance and diverse population.
- Promoting a culture of mutual tolerance is essential for maintaining social cohesion in increasingly multicultural urban environments.

### 2. physical resistance

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

- After taking the medication for a year, he developed a tolerance to it.
- The patient's high tolerance for sedatives required the anesthesiologist to adjust the dosage significantly during the procedure.

### 3. technical margin of error

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

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

- The parts must be made with a tolerance of less than one millimeter.
- The aerospace components were manufactured to extremely tight tolerances to ensure they would fit perfectly under extreme thermal expansion.

### 4. endurance

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

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

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

- The explorer showed great tolerance for the freezing cold of the mountains.
- His legendary tolerance for physical suffering allowed him to survive weeks in the wilderness with minimal supplies.

### 5. to engineer for error

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

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

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

- The engineers had to tolerance the engine parts very carefully.
- When designing the bridge, the architects had to tolerance the steel beams to account for significant seasonal temperature fluctuations.

## Examples

- The school promotes tolerance and respect for all cultures.
- Building a high tolerance for spicy food takes time and regular exposure to different peppers.
- A healthy democracy requires a high degree of political tolerance, ensuring that minority voices are heard even when their views conflict with the majority consensus.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.