Word.ws English Dictionary

tolerably

Syllables: tol·er·a·bly/ˈtɒləɹəbli/US/ˈtɑləɹəbli/

tolerably adverb: in a tolerable manner; to an extent that can be tolerated.

Adverb

tolerably (comparative more tolerably, superlative most tolerably)

  1. In a tolerable manner; to an extent that can be tolerated.
    • I don't like the music, but it's tolerably quiet.
  2. (dated) Reasonably; acceptably; somewhat.
    • With a small knife or larding pin, cut holes in the beef, to receive the bacon thus prepared; place the lardings tolerably thick and even; rub the beef over with the remainder of the seasoning […]1819, The Ladies' Literary Cabinet
    • At least, he may claim that we should bring to him a tolerably patient and receptive mind, not a repelling, refusive mind; in a word, that we should treat him with decency, if we profess to attend to him at all.1883, The Book-lover's Enchiridion, page 415

Forms of tolerably

comparativemore tolerably
superlativemost tolerably

Origin of tolerably

From tolerable + -ly.

Questions about tolerably

What does tolerably mean?
Tolerably means in a tolerable manner; to an extent that can be tolerated.
What part of speech is tolerably?
Tolerably is an adverb.
How do you pronounce tolerably?
Tolerably is pronounced /ˈtɑləɹəbli/ (US).

Words near tolerably in the dictionary

  1. tolerabilities
  2. tolerability
  3. tolerable
  4. tolerableness
  5. tolerablish
  6. tolerably
  7. toleragenic
  8. tolerance
  9. tolerance break
  10. tolerance breaks
  11. toleranced

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: tolerably (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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