If you are allowed to do something onsufferance, you can do it, although you know that the person who gave you permission would prefer that you did not do it.
His party held office on sufferance.
The civilian authorities are only there on sufferance of the military.
sufferance in British English
(ˈsʌfərəns, ˈsʌfrəns)
noun
1.
tolerance arising from failure to prohibit; tacit permission
2.
capacity to endure pain, injury, etc
3.
the state or condition of suffering
4. archaic
patient endurance
5. on sufferance
Word origin
C13: via Old French from Late Latin sufferentia endurance, from Latin sufferre to suffer
sufferance in American English
(ˈsʌfərəns; ˈsʌfrəns)
noun
1.
the power or capacity to endure or tolerate pain, distress, etc.
2.
consent, permission, or sanction implied by failure to interfere or prohibit; toleration
3. Archaic
suffering
Idioms:
on sufferance
Word origin
ME < Anglo-Fr souffrance < OFr < LL(Ec) sufferentia < L sufferens, prp.: see suffer
Examples of 'sufferance' in a sentence
sufferance
They know they're under sufferance, if you know what I mean, so they tend not to drawattention to themselves.
Peter Robinson AFTERMATH (2001)
Liz, torn between walking out in a huff and staying under sufferance, decided to stick it out and look alternately affronted and offended.
Sue Welfare FALLEN WOMEN (2001)
She had no right to her father's name, was accepted at court only on his sufferance.
Penman, Sharon HERE BE DRAGONS (2001)
"Ah, but think back and you'll recall they attended on sufferance, danced twice, then left.