Tolerant Of: Standard Pattern
Tolerant Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use “tolerant of” to name the behavior, belief, condition, or circumstance that someone accepts or endures.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning | Pattern | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| accepting of a behavior, belief, condition, or circumstance | tolerant of + noun/-ing | Use the directly documented construction. |
| able to endure a condition or substance | tolerant of + noun | Use the attested “of” pattern when that sense fits. |
| another syntactic use of “tolerant” | check the construction separately | Do not turn one attested complement into a universal prohibition. |
Quick tests
Accepted-or-endured thing test
Does the following complement name what is accepted or endured?
If yes: Use “tolerant of + complement.”
If no: If “tolerant” is being used in a different construction, check that construction separately.
Caveat: This page records the evidenced “tolerant of” pattern; it does not claim that every other sequence with “tolerant” is impossible.
Examples
The group is tolerant of differing opinions.
The complement names the belief or view being accepted.
This plant is tolerant of dry conditions.
The complement names a condition the plant can endure.
She is tolerant of people arriving a few minutes late.
The -ing clause names the behavior being accepted.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “tolerant of” to name the behavior, belief, condition, or circumstance that someone accepts or endures.
Style Boundary
The page records the directly documented “tolerant of” construction and does not turn it into a universal rule for every syntactic use of “tolerant.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- tolerant — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press & Assessment · Direct learner-dictionary evidence for the adjective construction “tolerant of.”