bearable

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈbɛrəbəl/ UK /ˈbɛərəbəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
able to be endured or tolerated

A cool breeze made the afternoon heat just bearable.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · able to be endured or... endurable tolerable sufferable supportable manageable

Opposites

unbearable intolerable insufferable unendurable

Word family

Derived forms bearablybearableness

Related forms bear

Etymology

From bear ('to carry, endure', Old English beran) plus the suffix -able.

beran Old English *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# bearable

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈbɛrəbəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbɛərəbəl/

## Meanings
1. able to be endured or tolerated

## Examples
- A cool breeze made the afternoon heat just bearable.

## Synonyms
- endurable
- tolerable
- sufferable
- supportable
- manageable

## Antonyms
- unbearable
- intolerable
- insufferable
- unendurable

## Derived Forms
- bearably
- bearableness

## Related Forms
- bear

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: beran
- Root: *bʰer-

## Etymology
From bear ('to carry, endure', Old English beran) plus the suffix -able.

## AI Etymology
Bearable is an adjective meaning "able to be endured or tolerated". Historically, it is from bear ('to carry, endure', Old English beran) plus the suffix -able. The visible construction is part of the etymology: bearable is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The modern meaning, "able to be endured or tolerated", follows the base word through the added English ending. The historical chain links Old English beran with Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-. Close English family members include bearably, bearableness, and bear.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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