1.
unbearable; intolerable; cannot stand
Describes something so extreme in its unpleasantness — pain, heat, noise, boredom, sadness — that one cannot endure it. The negative potential form of 耐える (to endure).
この暑さは耐えられない。
This heat is unbearable.
痛みに耐えられなくなった。
I could no longer bear the pain.
彼女の無神経な言葉には耐えられなかった。
I couldn't stand her insensitive words.
もうこの退屈な会議には耐えられない。早く終わってほしい。
I can't take this boring meeting anymore. I wish it would end soon.
Negative potential form of 耐える (to endure; to bear). Functions as both a predicate (耐えられない) and a modifier (耐えられない痛み — unbearable pain). Very common in everyday speech for expressing that something exceeds one's tolerance.
The subject of what is intolerable is marked with に or には:
- 暑さに耐えられない: can't stand the heat
- この状況には耐えられない: can't bear this situation
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 耐えられない痛み: unbearable pain
- 耐えられない暑さ: unbearable heat
- もう耐えられない: I can't take it anymore
- 耐えられないほど: to an unbearable degree
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 我慢できない: can't stand it — more colloquial, emphasizes the personal effort of trying to put up with something
- たまらない: unbearable; irresistible — can be negative (unbearably bad) or positive (irresistibly good)
- 堪えられない: cannot endure — literary synonym using a different kanji