intolerable
- adjective
- /ɪnˈtɒlərəbl/
- The loud music coming from the party next door was intolerable and kept me awake all night.
- become intolerable
- find it intolerable
- an intolerable situation
The narcissistic person can find it almost intolerable to be in the presence of that good fortune.
- The narcissistic person can find it almost intolerable to be in the presence of that good fortune.
- This kind of public call out, depending on the scale and the issue, may be intolerable.
- Every morning that I woke up became something that became intolerable for me at some point.
- Like that would be like life is intolerable unless this thing is being nourished in some way.
- Though they're vulgarized poor things of their kind, they're almost intolerable in the play.
- So Friedman says that this is intolerable.
- We live in a world of bad, worse, worser, worsest and intolerable.
- And this is just, you know, an intolerable legacy of racism in America as far as the stats go.
- Just as where friendship is even grievous things are light, so where enmity lies beneath very trifles appear intolerable.
- And so I think that's another intolerable trade off that has been made by woke ideologues or liberals, as I often say as well.
Examples
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It would be an intolerable burden on the economy.
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We said "never again"; but again the intolerable has happened in Europe.
Academic text (1994) -
In its worst state, it's an intolerable evil.
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I mean, it's just an intolerable position.
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I am so glad we only have to go through this once a year, because I find that whole family just intolerable.
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Ten years ago, pain from the burns would have been intolerable.
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The noise was intolerable, though the passengers' screaming was not the worst of it.
Fiction book (1991) -
When suffering and worry reached an intolerable level for him, he would sink into a profound sleep.
Fiction book (1998) -
Life would be intolerable.
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It seems an age since I last saw you... and our separation is now proving an intolerable strain.
Synonyms
Not good enough or not allowed by rules
Too painful or unpleasant to stand
So unpleasant you cannot stand it
Tastes bad or is hard to accept
Too unpleasant or painful to bear
Too unpleasant or extreme to bear
So bad or strong that you cannot stand it
Antonyms
How Tolerable
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word intolerable comes from Latin parts in- meaning 'not' and tolerare meaning 'to bear', the same root as tolerate. Think of it as 'not able to be borne', something you 'cannot bear' or 'cannot stand', which is why intolerable means too bad or unpleasant to accept.