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tough
[ tuhf ]
adjective
- strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.
Antonyms: fragile
- not brittle or tender.
- difficult to masticate, as food:
a tough steak.
- of viscous consistency, as liquid or semiliquid matter:
tough molasses.
- capable of great endurance; sturdy; hardy:
tough troops.
Synonyms: durable
- not easily influenced, as a person; unyielding; stubborn:
a tough man to work for.
Synonyms: inflexible
- hardened; incorrigible:
a tough criminal.
- difficult to perform, accomplish, or deal with; hard, trying, or troublesome:
a tough problem.
- hard to bear or endure (often used ironically):
tough luck.
- vigorous; severe; violent:
a tough struggle.
- vicious; rough; rowdyish:
a tough character;
a tough neighborhood.
- practical, realistic, and lacking in sentimentality; tough-minded.
- Slang. remarkably excellent; first-rate; great.
adverb
- in a tough manner.
noun
- a ruffian; rowdy.
tough
/ tʌf /
adjective
- strong or resilient; durable
a tough material
- not tender
he could not eat the tough steak
- having a great capacity for endurance; hardy and fit
a tough mountaineer
- rough or pugnacious
a tough gangster
- resolute or intractable
a tough employer
- difficult or troublesome to do or deal with
a tough problem
- informal.unfortunate or unlucky
it's tough on him
noun
- a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person
adverb
- informal.violently, aggressively, or intractably
to treat someone tough
- hang tough informal.to be or appear to be strong or determined
verb
- slang.tr to stand firm, hold out against (a difficulty or difficult situation) (esp in tough it out )
Derived Forms
- ˈtoughish, adjective
- ˈtoughly, adverb
Other Words From
- toughly adverb
- toughness noun
- super·tough adjective
- un·tough adjective
- un·toughly adverb
- un·toughness noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of tough1
Word History and Origins
Origin of tough1
Idioms and Phrases
- hang tough, Slang. hang ( def 62 ).
- tough it out, Informal. to endure or resist hardship or adversity.
More idioms and phrases containing tough
- get tough
- gut (tough) it out
- hang tough
- hard (tough) act to follow
- hard (tough) nut to crack
Example Sentences
News of Subhash's tragic death has also galvanised men's rights activists and started a wider debate around India's tough dowry law.
While it's still possible that it could repeat that feat, it's up against some extremely tough competition.
But he’s in a tough profession for this.
"People have taken time and effort and money in tough economic times to donate to the cause - and that cheers me up no end," Ian says.
D’Angelo Russell scored 20 off the bench, and Davis finished with 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots on a tough offensive night.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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