Tolerance vs. Acceptance — What's the Difference?

The ability to endure something, especially adversity.

The act of taking or receiving something offered.

The permissible limit or limits of variation in an object or process.

Agreement or approval of something.

Indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from one's own.

The recognition of the truth or reality of something.

The body's capacity to become less responsive to a substance or stimulus.

Favorable reception; approval.

The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others.

The act of taking something offered

Leeway for variation from a standard.

The act of admitting to a group or organization

The permissible deviation from a specified value of a structural dimension, often expressed as a percent.

A notification that someone or something has been accepted

The capacity to endure hardship or pain.

Favorable reception; approval

Physiological resistance to a toxin.

Belief in something; agreement

Diminution in the physiological response to a drug that occurs after continued use, necessitating larger doses to produce a given response.

A formal indication by a debtor of willingness to pay a draft or bill of exchange.

The ability to digest or metabolize a food, drug, or other substance or compound

An instrument so accepted, especially a bankers' acceptance.

Acceptance of a tissue graft or transplant without immunological rejection.

(Law) The demonstration of agreement with the terms and conditions of another's offer so that the offer becomes a contract between the two parties.

Unresponsiveness to an antigen that normally produces an immunologic reaction.

(uncountable) The act of accepting; the receiving of something offered, with acquiescence, approbation, or satisfaction; especially, favourable reception; approval.

The ability of an organism to resist or survive infection by a parasitic or pathogenic organism.

(countable) An instance of that act.

The ability to endure pain or hardship; endurance.

Belief in something; agreement, assent.

(uncountable) The ability or practice of tolerating; an acceptance of or patience with the beliefs, opinions or practices of others; a lack of bigotry.

The state of being accepted.

(uncountable) The ability of the body (or other organism) to resist the action of a poison, to cope with a dangerous drug or to survive infection by an organism.

The usual or accepted meaning of a word or expression.

(countable) The variation or deviation from a standard, especially the maximum permitted variation in an engineering measurement.

An assent and engagement by the person on whom a bill of exchange is drawn, to pay it when due according to the terms of the acceptance; the bill of exchange itself when accepted.

(uncountable) The ability of the body to accept a tissue graft without rejection.

(law) An agreeing to the action, proposals, or terms of another by some act which results in the conclusion of a legally binding contract; the reception or taking of a thing bought as that for which it was bought, or as that agreed to be delivered, or the taking of possession of a thing as owner.

The power or capacity of enduring; the act of enduring; endurance.

The act of an authorized representative of the government by which the government assents to ownership of existing and identified supplies, or approves specific services rendered, as partial or complete performance of a contract.

The endurance of the presence or actions of objectionable persons, or of the expression of offensive opinions; toleration.

A list of horses accepted as starters in a race.

The power possessed or acquired by some persons of bearing doses of medicine which in ordinary cases would prove injurious or fatal.

(optics) etendue.

Capability of growth in more or less shade.

The act of accepting; a receiving what is offered, with approbation, satisfaction, or acquiescence; esp., favorable reception; approval; as, the acceptance of a gift, office, doctrine, etc.

The allowed amount of variation from the standard or from exact conformity to the specified dimensions, weight, hardness, voltage etc., in various mechanical or electrical devices or operations; - caklled also allowance

State of being accepted; acceptableness.

The capacity to resist the deleterious action of a chemical agent normally harmful to the organism; as, the acquired tolerance of bacteria to anitbiotics.

An assent and engagement by the person on whom a bill of exchange is drawn, to pay it when due according to the terms of the acceptance.

The acquired inability to respond with an immune reaction to an antigen to which the organism normally responds; - called also immunotolerance, immunological tolerance, or immune tolerance. Such tolerance may be induced by exposing an animal to the antigen at a very early stage of life, prior to maturation of the immune system, or, in adults, by exposing the animal to repeated low doses of a weak protein antigen (low-zone tolerance), or to a large amount of an antigen (high-zone tolerance).

An agreeing to terms or proposals by which a bargain is concluded and the parties are bound; the reception or taking of a thing bought as that for which it was bought, or as that agreed to be delivered, or the taking possession as owner.

The power or capacity of an organism to tolerate unfavorable environmental conditions

An agreeing to the action of another, by some act which binds the person in law.

A disposition to allow freedom of choice and behavior

Meaning; acceptation.

The act of tolerating something

The mental attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as true;

Willingness to recognize and respect the beliefs or practices of others

The act of accepting with approval; favorable reception;

A permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits

The state of being acceptable and accepted;

The capacity to respect differences or practices without interference.

(contract law) words signifying consent to the terms of an offer (thereby creating a contract)

Banking: a time draft drawn on and accepted by a bank

A disposition to tolerate or accept people or situations;

The act of taking something that is offered;

In contract law, the act of agreeing to the terms of an offer.

No, tolerance is enduring differences, while acceptance is recognizing and welcoming them.

Generally, acceptance is viewed positively, but context matters; one can "accept" a negative outcome.

Yes, one can tolerate something without truly accepting or understanding it.

Acceptance fosters understanding, trust, and deeper emotional connections between individuals.

Through education, exposure, dialogue, and promoting understanding among diverse groups.

No, tolerance can involve enduring differences without necessarily agreeing with them.

Personal and societal limits can exist; for instance, behaviors causing harm might not be tolerated.

Yes, one's level of acceptance can grow or change based on experiences and understanding.

Typically, acceptance involves active acknowledgment, while tolerance can be more passive.

By being open-minded, empathetic, and seeking to understand and value different perspectives.

Not necessarily, but tolerance can be a step towards broader acceptance.

While related, they're different. Tolerance is about enduring differences; patience is about enduring delay or adversity.

While both are valuable, acceptance is often seen as a deeper, more genuine understanding and embrace of differences.

It allows diverse groups to coexist peacefully and fosters mutual respect.

While true acceptance is unconditional, people can have conditions or reservations at times.