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Tolerate vs Enable - What's the difference?

tolerate | enable |

As verbs the difference between tolerate and enable

is that tolerate is to allow (something that one dislikes or disagrees with) to exist or occur without interference while enable is to give strength or ability to; to make firm and strong.

tolerate

English

Verb

(tolerat)
  • To allow (something that one dislikes or disagrees with) to exist or occur without interference.
  • I like the way he plays the guitar, but I can't tolerate his voice when he sings.
    I can tolerate working on Saturdays, but not on Sundays.

    Usage notes

    * This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing) . See

    Synonyms

    * allow, bear, , endure, live with, put up with

    enable

    English

    (Webster 1913)

    Verb

    (enabling) (enabl)
  • To give strength or ability to; to make firm and strong.
  • * 1611 , King James Bible , "1 Tim. i. 12"
  • Who hath enabled me.
  • To make able (to do, or to be, something); to confer sufficient power upon; to furnish with means, opportunities, and the like; to render competent for; to empower; to endow.
  • * 1711 , October 13, (Joseph Addison), (The Spectator) , number 195
  • Temperance gives Nature her full play, and enables her to exert herself in all her force and vigor.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=72-3, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= A punch in the gut , passage=Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism.}}
  • To allow a way out or excuse for an action.
  • Antonyms

    * disable

    Derived terms

    * enabler * enablement * re-enable * reenable

    Anagrams

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