tolerance

Willingness to accept people whose beliefs or ways of living are different from yours.

• We should teach children tolerance.
• Religious tolerance helps people live together peacefully.
• Her tolerance of different opinions impressed me.

How to use it: tolerance of someone/something (The school encourages tolerance of different beliefs.); tolerance for someone/something (We need greater tolerance for people with different views.)

Similar words: acceptance, open-mindedness

Opposites: intolerance, bigotry

Common phrases: religious tolerance, tolerance of something, show tolerance

The ability to deal with something unpleasant or harmful without serious problems.

• His tolerance for pain is low.
• Some plants have a high tolerance for heat.
• Over time, she developed tolerance to the medicine.

How to use it: tolerance for something (She has a low tolerance for pain.); tolerance to something (Repeated use can increase tolerance to the drug.)

Similar words: resistance

Opposites: sensitivity

Common phrases: pain tolerance, tolerance for something, tolerance to something

The ability to drink alcohol without becoming drunk easily.

• My tolerance for alcohol is low.
• Regular drinking can increase alcohol tolerance.
• Even one beer affected her because her tolerance was low.

How to use it: tolerance for alcohol (He has little tolerance for alcohol.)

Common phrases: alcohol tolerance, high tolerance, low tolerance

The amount by which a measurement is allowed to differ from the required value.

• The measurements are within tolerance.
• This machine produces parts with a tight tolerance.
• The engineer specified a tolerance of two millimetres.

How to use it: within tolerance (All the measurements are within tolerance.); tolerance of an amount (The part has a tolerance of one millimetre.)

Similar words: allowable variation

Common phrases: within tolerance, manufacturing tolerance, tight tolerance