tolerante

Tolerante is an adjective used in Spanish and Italian to describe the capacity to endure, accept, or permit something without objection. In Spanish it describes people, attitudes, systems, or organisms that can coexist with differences or adversity. The English equivalent is tolerant, and in Italian the form is tollerante. The term derives from Latin tolerare, meaning to bear or endure, with the suffix -ante indicating a quality.

In social contexts, being tolerante implies respecting different opinions, beliefs, or ways of life, often in contrast to intolerance. It is commonly discussed as a value in pluralistic societies, where diversity is recognised and managed through cooperation rather than coercion.

In science and engineering, tolerancia or tolerance is used to describe permissible variations. In biology and ecology, an organism’s tolerance refers to its ability to survive across a range of environmental conditions, such as temperature or salinity, defined by tolerance thresholds. In pharmacology, drug tolerance denotes a diminished response to a substance after repeated exposure, which may necessitate higher doses for the same effect. In manufacturing and engineering, tolerance indicates allowable deviations from a specified dimension or performance, and materials or components described as tolerante are considered capable of functioning under expected variances.

Synonyms include tolerancia, tolerar, and the related noun tolerancia. Antonyms include intolerancia and intolerante. The term is closely related to discussions of social inclusion, ecological niches, and quality control, where the concept of acceptable variation plays a central role.