intolerable en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ɪnˈtɑləɹəbl̩/ (General-American)
- /ɪnˈtɒləɹəbl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English intolerable, borrowed from Middle French intolerable, from Latin intolerābilis. By surface analysis, in- + tolerable.
Meanings
- Not tolerable; not capable of being borne or endured.
-
Extremely offensive or insulting.
It is an intolerable sound that sets spoons tinkling in saucers and windowpanes vibrating.
1971, William S. Burroughs, The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead, page 4:“I call on all citizens of Berlin and across Germany to wear the yarmulke (as the skullcap is known in Yiddish) next Saturday if there are new, intolerable attacks targeting Israel and Jews on the occasion of Al-Quds Day in Berlin,” said Felix Klein in a statement.
2019 May 28, Jack Guy and Antonia Mortensen, “Germans urged to wear Jewish skullcap ahead of anti-Israel protests”, in CNN:
-
(qualifier:nuclear power) Extremely worn and degraded, to the point of being unsafe.
o take apart an ageing nuclear facility, you have to put a lot of other things together first. New technologies, for instance, and new buildings to replace the intolerable ones, and new reserves of money.
2022 December 15, Samanth Subramanian, “Dismantling Sellafield: the epic task of shutting down a nuclear site”, in The Guardian:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more intolerable | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most intolerable | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| untolerable | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |
Deriveds
intolerableness · intolerably · intolerability
Synonyms
unsittable · insupportable · unbearable · insufferable
Translations (31)
ru невыноси́мый (not tolerable) · is óþolandi (not tolerable) · ru несно́сный (not tolerable) · es de juzgado de guardia (extremely offensive) · be нясце́рпны (not tolerable) · be невыно́сны (not tolerable) · bg нетърпим (not tolerable) · ca intolerable (not tolerable) · fr intolérable (not tolerable) · grc ἀφόρητος (not tolerable) · gl intolerable (not tolerable) · txb ekalätte (not tolerable) · be нязно́сны (not tolerable) · ru нестерпи́мый (not tolerable) · ur ناقابِلِ بَرْداشْت (not tolerable) · nb uutholdelig (not tolerable) · th เหลือทน (not tolerable) · uk несте́рпний (not tolerable) · th สุดจะทน (not tolerable) · cmn 难以忍受的,難以忍受的 (not tolerable) · es intolerable (not tolerable) · de unerträglich (not tolerable) · es infumable (not tolerable) · az dözülməz (extremely offensive) · pt intolerável (not tolerable) · fi sietämätön (not tolerable) · az dözülməz (not tolerable) · pl nieznośny (not tolerable) · eo netolerebla (not tolerable) · th เหลืออด (not tolerable) · uk незно́сний (not tolerable)