sufferable
/-f(ə)rəbəl/ (ame, mw)
sufferable — adjective
- sufferablepositive
- more sufferablecomparative
- most sufferablesuperlative
1. describing a person who is able to accept pain, difficulty, or other people's an
describing a person who is able to accept pain, difficulty, or other people's annoying behaviour without becoming angry or upset.
The elderly fisherman was a sufferable man who sat quietly through every storm.
sufferable + noun describing a person's character
Ada's sufferable attitude toward her difficult colleague surprised the whole office team.
Nicholas bore the long illness with a sufferable spirit that amazed the hospital nurses.
The villagers described her as a sufferable soul who never raised her voice even in great hardship.
- long-suffering
more common and emphatic, especially about enduring others' faults
- patient
much more frequent in everyday use; less formal and more general
- forbearing
formal, emphasises restraint rather than endurance of pain
- impatient
common antonym for the patient/enduring aspect
文法句型
sufferable + noun (person)
be sufferable
用法筆記
Predominantly used in literary or formal contexts to describe a person's enduring character. Rare in everyday conversation.
常見錯誤
2. permitted by rules, laws, contracts, or accepted standards of behaviour.
permitted by rules, laws, contracts, or accepted standards of behaviour.
Under school policy, two late arrivals per month are sufferable before any formal warning is issued.
sufferable + under [rule/regulation]
Eitan checked the rental agreement to see if keeping a pet in the flat was sufferable.
The judge ruled that minor formatting mistakes in the application were sufferable under the stated guidelines.
Personal calls during work hours are not sufferable according to the company handbook.
- permissible
much more common in everyday legal language
- allowable
more frequent and more natural in modern English
- impermissible
formal antonym, used in legal and regulatory contexts
- forbidden
stronger and more common
文法句型
be sufferable + under [rule/law]
not sufferable
用法筆記
Frequently appears in legal or administrative contexts and is often used in the negative form 'not sufferable' to state prohibitions.
常見錯誤
3. unpleasant or difficult but possible to accept or deal with without giving up.
unpleasant or difficult but possible to accept or deal with without giving up.
The heat in the kitchen was uncomfortable but sufferable once Tomás opened both windows.
contrast: uncomfortable but sufferable
Léa found her roommate's loud music barely sufferable and decided to buy noise-cancelling earphones.
barely sufferable — common intensifier pattern
The long bus ride was sufferable because Tanvi had brought snacks and a good novel.
Haruto said the pain in his ankle was sufferable enough for him to finish the race.
Lien thought the cold weather at the campsite was sufferable as long as she wore her thick winter coat.
- bearable
more common in everyday speech; less formal
- tolerable
the closest synonym and the most frequent choice in modern English
- endurable
slightly stronger, suggests a longer period of suffering
- acceptable
softer; implies meeting a minimum standard rather than just being survivable
- unbearable
the most common antonym; much more frequent than 'insufferable'
- intolerable
formal, equally strong as unbearable
文法句型
[adverb] + sufferable
be barely / hardly sufferable
用法筆記
This is the most frequent sense in modern usage. Often appears with adverbs like 'barely', 'hardly', or 'quite' to indicate the degree of tolerability.