Suffer fools gladly

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Meaning

Tolerate foolish, incompetent, or irritating people patiently, without showing open annoyance. Most often appears in the negative to describe an impatient or demanding person. Regional use: Late Middle English biblical translation; now widespread but formal.

Origin

Paul writes ironically in 2 Corinthians 11:19 that his supposedly wise readers gladly tolerate fools. The Wycliffite version says they suffer gladly unwise men; William Tyndale's 1526 New Testament supplies the durable wording ye suffer fools gladly. The now-dominant negative construction, does not suffer fools gladly, is a later reversal of Paul's affirmative irony.

Research Sources

  1. Bible Gateway: 2 Corinthians 11:19 in English translations Bible Gateway
  2. Cambridge Dictionary: not suffer fools gladly Cambridge University Press
  3. The Tyndale New Testament eBible.org

Variants

  • Gladly suffer fools

Usage Examples

  • The exacting editor does not suffer fools gladly.
  • She suffered fools gladly in public but corrected every error in private.
  • A busy help desk cannot always afford to suffer fools gladly.

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