'low-tolerance' is a Modern English compound formed from 'low' + 'tolerance', combining 'low' (meaning "not high" or "small in degree") and 'tolerance' (the ability or willingness to tolerate).

'tolerance' originates from Latin 'tolerantia' (from 'tolerare', 'to bear'), passed into Old French as 'tolerance' and then into Middle and Modern English as 'tolerance'. 'low' has been a long-standing English adjective meaning 'not high' or 'small in amount'; the compound 'low-tolerance' is a recent productive formation in Modern English to describe a low degree of tolerance.

Initially a straightforward compound describing a low degree of tolerance, the phrase evolved into common figurative and policy-language use (e.g., 'low-tolerance policy'), emphasizing strictness or increased sensitivity in social, organizational, or medical contexts.