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sufferance

sufferance

3 9.1
A patient acceptance of something unpleasant or difficult
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌfərəns/
  • Archaic
translation icon : tolerancia
  • I'm only here on sufferance, and even in my day it wasn't the done thing to insult the prejudices of one's host.
  • only on sufferance

Those apps, in turn, are there at the sufferance of your mobile phone or your other platform vendor.

Examples

  • We are here on sufferance.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Until recently, Jewish communities in Christian or Muslim principalities existed on the sufferance of kings and princes.

    Blog text (8)
  • As it was, she was only here on sufferance.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • You're only here on sufferance.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • But Washington's always treated us with sufferance, and we must extend the same regard to them.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The Protestants were admitted on sufferance and even allowed private places of worship, provided the public peace was not disturbed by their presence.

    Academic text (1999)
  • You're here by sufferance.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • She showed great sufferance while dealing with the long wait at the doctor's office.

  • His sufferance of the harsh weather conditions impressed everyone during the expedition.

  • They endured the challenges with sufferance, knowing better days would come.

Synonyms

acceptance
vssufferance
101 2.9

Willingness to be friendly to people and ideas that are different

involves patient enduring rather than willing or positive tolerance
endurance
vssufferance
77 3.4

Ability to keep doing hard physical or mental work for a long time

does not stress long duration and applies to shorter patient tolerance
stoicism
vssufferance
5 7.8

A calm way of accepting pain or hardship without complaint

allows patient enduring while not requiring emotional indifference
bearance
vssufferance
  • Archaic
9.5

Accepting something difficult without complaining

is the capacity to endure rather than the personal feeling of patience
long-sufferance
vssufferance
9.9

To accept pain or hardship without complaint for a long time

is patient tolerance without stressing long duration

Antonyms

50 4.6

Not willing to accept small annoyances or people with different views

38 2.5

A feeling of being annoyed and restless when you have to wait

Idioms

on sufferance
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who stays only because someone else lets them, not by right

Compounds

To accept pain or hardship without complaint for a long time

How Patient

forbearance
  • Specialized
11 8.4
endurance
77 3.4
sufferance
  • Archaic
3 9.1
patience
511 1.3
tolerance
160 3.7

Surface Forms

sufferance singular
sufferances plural

Morphology

sufferance = suffer (transparent) = suffer + ance

Formed by the verb 'suffer' + the nominalizing suffix '-ance', yielding the state or act of enduring; meaning follows a standard English nominalization pattern.

Etymology

Sufferance comes from Latin parts sub- ('under') and ferre ('to carry' or 'to bear') and is related to the verb suffer, which meant to 'bear' pain. So, sufferance is about patiently bearing or allowing something unpleasant.