suffer fools gladly

English

Alternative forms

• gladly suffer fools

Pronunciation

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Verb

suffer fools gladly (third-person singular simple present suffers fools gladly, present participle suffering fools gladly, simple past and past participle suffered fools gladly)

1. (idiomatic, chiefly in the negative) To be tolerant of stupidity or incompetence in other people.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 11:19:

     For ye suffer fooles gladly, seeing ye your selues are wise.

   • 1912 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Pygmalion. Preface.”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, page 100:

     He [Henry Sweet] was, I believe, not in the least an illnatured man: very much the opposite, I should say; but he would not suffer fools gladly.

See also

• nobody's fool

Anagrams

• gladly suffer fools