Tolerance refers to the capacity to endure or accept differences, discomfort, or delay without permanent distress; it can also denote the allowable amount of deviation from a standard. In social contexts, it denotes open-mindedness and forbearance toward others’ beliefs or practices. In scientific usage, it describes the permissible range of variation in a measured quantity or the body's ability to withstand a substance or condition over time.
"Her tolerance for spicy foods has increased since she started cooking Indian dishes."
"The team showed remarkable tolerance under pressure during the final months of the project."
"In biology, tolerance refers to an organism's ability to survive environmental stress within certain limits."
"Her tolerance for waiting is short, so she often gets frustrated at delays."
Tolerance comes from Old French tolerated, from Latin tolerare, meaning to bear, endure, or sustain. The root toler- derives from talere, to bear or endure, linked to the Latin tolerare (to endure). In English, tolerance appeared in the 14th century to denote endurance or the ability to withstand effects, gradually widening to include the idea of permitting and accepting different beliefs or practices. The sense of “the capacity to endure suffering or delay” evolved in the 17th–18th centuries, parallel to the rise of social and political notions of liberty and acceptance. Around the 19th century, scientific usage emerged, defining a permissible range of measurement deviations and biological resilience. In modern usage, tolerance spans social, political, physiological, and technical domains, always retaining the core sense of endurance, acceptance, or permissible deviation. The word’s evolving usage reflects shifting attitudes toward difference, restraint, and regulation, from moral endurance to quantitative thresholds in engineering and biology. First known uses appear in medieval texts with Latin and Old French roots, progressing through Renaissance philology into contemporary scientific and social discourse. The spelling shifted to include the -ence suffix in the 15th–16th centuries, aligning with similar abstract nouns in English. The word’s semantic breadth continues to expand with new domains like cultural tolerance and environmental tolerance in policy and ecology.
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Words that rhyme with "Tolerance"
-nce sounds
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Pronounce as /ˈtɒl.ər.əns/ in US/UK; in Australian accents it’s /ˈtɒl.ə.rəns/ with a slightly more reduced second syllable. The primary stress is on the first syllable: TO-lə-ərns or TO-lə-rns. Start with a tall, crisp /t/, then an open back /ɒ/ vowel, followed by a light /lə/ or /lər/ sequence, and end with /əns/. Visualize: TO-leh-runs with a gentle, quick ending. Listen to native speakers for fine-tuning, focusing on accurate initial consonant release and a non-touring final syllable.
Common errors include: 1) Overemphasizing the second syllable as /tɒl.əˈrːɛns/ by tensing the middle vowel; correct is a light /ər/ or /ə rə/ with a short, unstressed second syllable. 2) Misplacing stress on the second syllable, producing /tɒlˈər.əns/; keep primary stress on the first syllable. 3) Merging syllables too slowly, as /ˈtɒl.ə.rəns/; practice a clean, rapid consonant-vowel transitions. Focus on maintaining a steady /l/ and a clear /r/ in some accents.
US and UK pronunciation share /ˈtɒl.ər.əns/ or /ˈtɒl.ə.rəns/ with stress on the first syllable, but rhoticity affects the /r/; US tends to an /ɹ/ sound with a stronger /ɹ/ in the second syllable, while UK may have a non-rhotic /ɹ/ or a lighter rhotic. Australian English sits between, often with a reduced /ə/ in the second syllable and a less pronounced /r/. The overall rhythm is similar, but vowel quality and the exact duration of /ɒ/ vs /ɒl/ can vary. Listen for subtle differences in vowel length and rhoticity to distinguish accents.
The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic rhythm and the three-syllable structure with unstressed middle syllables. The sequence /ˈtɒl-ə-rəns/ demands accurate reduction of the second syllable, avoiding a heavy /ɜː/ or /ɪ/ sound. The /l/ and /ɹ/ transitions must be smooth, and the final /ns/ must be crisp without trailing vowel voice. People often mispronounce by saying /ˈto-lə-rense/ or by overemphasizing the middle vowel. Practice steady, rapid transitions and listen for native examples.
Watch for the exact placement of primary stress on the first syllable and the reduction of the middle vowel in casual speech. The form /ˈtɒl.ə.rəns/ relies on a short, schwa-like second syllable; over-articulating this syllable makes the word sound stilted. Also, ensure the final /ns/ cluster is not lost or turned into /z/ in some American dialects. Focus on keeping a clean /t/ onset, a clear /l/ with a light /ə/ and an abrupt /ns/ finish.
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