Tolerate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈtɒl.ə.ɹeɪt/

Definitions

1. To accept or endure something unpleasant or disagreeable without interference or complaint
2. To bear with something negative or difficult while showing a degree of acceptance or restraint, without voicing discontent or intervening
3. To endure something challenging or disagreeable while maintaining a level of acceptance and refraining from action or complaint

Etymology: Before it meant putting up with something unpleasant, "tolerate" was a verb about physical endurance: the Latin "tolerare" meant to bear a burden or to hold up under strain. English took the word directly from Latin "tolerātus", the past participle of "tolerō", and its roots run deeper than Latin. Old English had "þolian", meaning to suffer or bear, and that verb is a close relative, so English already had a native word for enduring pain before this borrowed one arrived. The Latin stem gave English a family of words with a shared core of bearing or lifting. Its sense has since moved from carrying weight to carrying hardship, and finally to the modern idea of letting something happen without objecting. French "tolérer" follows the same path, which means the modern sense of accepting what one dislikes was shared across both languages.

Synonyms: endure, bear, accept, withstand, permit

Antonyms: reject, oppose, refuse, disallow, condemn