"zero tolerance" meaning in English

See zero tolerance in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} zero tolerance (uncountable)
  1. The strict policy of enforcing law(s) or the rule(s), and allowing no toleration or compromise even for first-time offenders or petty violations. Wikipedia link: zero tolerance Tags: uncountable Categories (topical): Criminal law, Law enforcement, Zero Coordinate_terms: three strikes and you're out, three-strikes law Translations (strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules): 零容忍 (líng róngrěn) (Chinese Mandarin), nultolerance [common-gender] (Danish), nultolerantie [feminine] (Dutch), nula toleremo (Esperanto), nollatoleranssi (Finnish), tolérance zéro [feminine] (French), Nulltoleranz [feminine] (German), μηδενική ανοχή (midenikí anochí) [feminine] (Greek), ゼロトレランス (zerotoreransu) (Japanese), nulltoleranse [masculine] (Norwegian Bokmål), nulltoleranse [masculine] (Norwegian Nynorsk), zerowa tolerancja (Polish), нулева́я терпи́мость (nulevája terpímostʹ) [feminine] (Russian), нулева́я толера́нтность (nulevája tolerántnostʹ) [feminine] (Russian), cero tolerancia [feminine] (Spanish), nolltolerans [common-gender] (Swedish), нульова́ толера́нтність (nulʹová tolerántnistʹ) [feminine] (Ukrainian), нульова́ терпи́мість (nulʹová terpýmistʹ) [feminine] (Ukrainian)
{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "zero tolerance (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant script codes",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Danish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Esperanto translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Greek translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Ukrainian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Criminal law",
          "orig": "en:Criminal law",
          "parents": [
            "Law",
            "Justice",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Law enforcement",
          "orig": "en:Law enforcement",
          "parents": [
            "Crime prevention",
            "Emergency services",
            "Law",
            "Crime",
            "Public safety",
            "Justice",
            "Criminal law",
            "Society",
            "Public administration",
            "Security",
            "All topics",
            "Government",
            "Fundamental",
            "Politics"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Zero",
          "orig": "en:Zero",
          "parents": [
            "Numbers",
            "All topics",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "three strikes and you're out"
        },
        {
          "word": "three-strikes law"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004, George Carlin, “ZERO TOLERANCE”, in When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 84:",
          "text": "I get weary of this zero tolerance bullshit. It's annoying. To begin with, it's a fascist concept; it's what Hitler and Stalin practiced. It allows for no exceptions or compassion of any kind. All is black and white—no gradations. But even more important, it doesn't solve anything. The use of such a slogan simply allows whichever company, school or municipality is using it to claim they're doing something about a problem when, in fact, nothing is being done at all and the problem is being ignored. It's a cosmetic non-solution designed to impress simpletons. Whenever you hear the phrase zero tolerance, remember, someone is bullshitting you.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The strict policy of enforcing law(s) or the rule(s), and allowing no toleration or compromise even for first-time offenders or petty violations."
      ],
      "id": "en-zero_tolerance-en-noun-2B0qIjXF",
      "links": [
        [
          "strict",
          "strict"
        ],
        [
          "policy",
          "policy"
        ],
        [
          "law",
          "law"
        ],
        [
          "rule",
          "rule"
        ],
        [
          "allowing",
          "allowing"
        ],
        [
          "toleration",
          "toleration"
        ],
        [
          "compromise",
          "compromise"
        ],
        [
          "first-time",
          "first-time"
        ],
        [
          "offender",
          "offender"
        ],
        [
          "petty",
          "petty"
        ],
        [
          "violation",
          "violation"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "líng róngrěn",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "word": "零容忍"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "nultolerance"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "nultolerantie"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "word": "nula toleremo"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "word": "nollatoleranssi"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "tolérance zéro"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Nulltoleranz"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "midenikí anochí",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "μηδενική ανοχή"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "zerotoreransu",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "word": "ゼロトレランス"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "nulltoleranse"
        },
        {
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "nulltoleranse"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "word": "zerowa tolerancja"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "nulevája terpímostʹ",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "нулева́я терпи́мость"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "nulevája tolerántnostʹ",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "нулева́я толера́нтность"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "cero tolerancia"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "nolltolerans"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "nulʹová tolerántnistʹ",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "нульова́ толера́нтність"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "nulʹová terpýmistʹ",
          "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "нульова́ терпи́мість"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "zero tolerance"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "zero tolerance"
}
{
  "coordinate_terms": [
    {
      "word": "three strikes and you're out"
    },
    {
      "word": "three-strikes law"
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "zero tolerance (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English uncountable nouns",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
        "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Danish translations",
        "Terms with Dutch translations",
        "Terms with Esperanto translations",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Greek translations",
        "Terms with Japanese translations",
        "Terms with Mandarin translations",
        "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
        "Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations",
        "Terms with Swedish translations",
        "Terms with Ukrainian translations",
        "en:Criminal law",
        "en:Law enforcement",
        "en:Zero"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004, George Carlin, “ZERO TOLERANCE”, in When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 84:",
          "text": "I get weary of this zero tolerance bullshit. It's annoying. To begin with, it's a fascist concept; it's what Hitler and Stalin practiced. It allows for no exceptions or compassion of any kind. All is black and white—no gradations. But even more important, it doesn't solve anything. The use of such a slogan simply allows whichever company, school or municipality is using it to claim they're doing something about a problem when, in fact, nothing is being done at all and the problem is being ignored. It's a cosmetic non-solution designed to impress simpletons. Whenever you hear the phrase zero tolerance, remember, someone is bullshitting you.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The strict policy of enforcing law(s) or the rule(s), and allowing no toleration or compromise even for first-time offenders or petty violations."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "strict",
          "strict"
        ],
        [
          "policy",
          "policy"
        ],
        [
          "law",
          "law"
        ],
        [
          "rule",
          "rule"
        ],
        [
          "allowing",
          "allowing"
        ],
        [
          "toleration",
          "toleration"
        ],
        [
          "compromise",
          "compromise"
        ],
        [
          "first-time",
          "first-time"
        ],
        [
          "offender",
          "offender"
        ],
        [
          "petty",
          "petty"
        ],
        [
          "violation",
          "violation"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "zero tolerance"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "líng róngrěn",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "word": "零容忍"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "nultolerance"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "nultolerantie"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "word": "nula toleremo"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "word": "nollatoleranssi"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "tolérance zéro"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Nulltoleranz"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "midenikí anochí",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "μηδενική ανοχή"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "zerotoreransu",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "word": "ゼロトレランス"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "nulltoleranse"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "nulltoleranse"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "word": "zerowa tolerancja"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "nulevája terpímostʹ",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "нулева́я терпи́мость"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "nulevája tolerántnostʹ",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "нулева́я толера́нтность"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "cero tolerancia"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "nolltolerans"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "nulʹová tolerántnistʹ",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "нульова́ толера́нтність"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "nulʹová terpýmistʹ",
      "sense": "strict policy of enforcing all the laws or rules",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "нульова́ терпи́мість"
    }
  ],
  "word": "zero tolerance"
}

Download raw JSONL data for zero tolerance meaning in English (5.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.