Toleration
noun
noun ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Endurance of evil, suffering etc. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 2 official recognition of the right of individuals to hold dissenting opinions (especially in religion) wordnet
- 3 The allowance of something not explicitly approved; tolerance, forbearance. countable, uncountable
- 4 a disposition to tolerate or accept people or situations wordnet
- 5 Specifically, the allowance by a government (or other ruling power) of the exercise of religion beyond the state established faith. countable, uncountable
"Above all, the establishment of toleration helped to weaken the presumption that plurality in matters of faith inevitably caused social disorder."
Example
More examples"The various modes of worship which prevailed in the Roman world were all considered by the people as equally true; by the philosopher as equally false; and by the magistrate as equally useful. And thus toleration produced not only mutual indulgence, but even religious concord."
Etymology
From Middle French toleration, from Latin tolerātiōnem, accusative singular of tolerātiō, from the verb tolerō (“I tolerate”). Compare tolerance.
Related phrases
More for "toleration"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.