Tolerations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act or practice of permitting or allowing something, especially opinions or behavior that one may not agree with
2. The state of enduring beliefs or practices different from one’s own, often for the sake of coexistence
3. An approach that acknowledges and accepts diversity in perspectives and lifestyles without imposing one’s own values onto others

Etymology: "Tolerations" is simply the plural of "toleration," a noun for the act or state of putting up with something, and it reaches English through Middle French "toleration," which came from the Latin "tolerātiō," the act of enduring. That Latin noun was built from the verb "tolerō," meaning to bear, endure, or sustain, the same root that gives English "tolerate" and "tolerance." The plural form is worth noticing because the singular "toleration" is itself the less common cousin of "tolerance." Both descend from the same Latin verb, but "tolerance" settled into the general sense of patience with what is unwelcome, while "toleration" kept a sharper focus on the formal, deliberate allowing of beliefs or practices that one might otherwise oppose. The plural therefore tends to describe several separate acts of permitting, rather than a single general quality of forbearance.

Synonyms: acceptances, endurances, forbearances

Antonyms: intolerances, rejections