sufferable

Sufferable is an adjective meaning capable of being endured or tolerated; not necessarily pleasant, but within the limits of what can be borne. In modern English it is largely archaic or literary, and the more common terms are bearable, tolerable, or endurable. When used, it often carries a formal or old-fashioned tone.

The word derives from the verb suffer, in the sense “to endure,” with the suffix -able. This sense of endurement comes from Latin pati, through Old French souffrir, with the current English form appearing in Early Modern English. As a result, sufferable shares semantic space with other -able adjectives formed from verbs of endurance.

Usage and nuance: Sufferable is rarely encountered in contemporary prose or speech. It may appear in historical texts, poems, or deliberate archaisms. Writers who wish to convey a sense of antiquity or formality might opt for sufferable, but most writers replace it with bearable or tolerable.

Examples:

- The pain was sufferable with the proper medication.

- The crew endured the icy wind; the discomfort remained sufferable.

Synonyms and distinction: Bearable implies a level of endurance without significant distress; tolerable emphasizes acceptability to a person; endurable stresses the capacity to withstand. Sufferable sits between bearable and tolerable in formality and reads as archaic or literary.

See also: Bearable, Tolerable, Endurable, Suffering, Endurance, Etymology of suffer.