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tough Definition

tough (tuf)

adjective

  1. strong but pliant; that will bend, twist, etc. without tearing or breaking
  2. that will not cut or chew easily tough steak
  3. strongly cohesive; glutinous; viscous; sticky tough putty
    1. strong of physique; robust; hardy
    2. displaying mental or moral firmness
  5. hard to convince or influence; stubborn
  6. practical and realistic rather than emotional or sentimental
  7. overly aggressive; brutal or rough
    1. very difficult; toilsome
    2. vigorous or violent a tough fight
  9. Informal unfavorable; bad a tough break
  10. ☆ Slang fine; excellent: a generalized term of approval

Etymology: ME < OE toh, akin to Ger zäh, tough, viscous, prob. < IE base *denk-, to bite > tongs

noun

a tough person; thug

tough Related Forms
tough′ly adverb tough′·ness noun
tough Idioms

tough it out

☆

Slang to remain firm in the face of difficulty, often, specif., in a brazen or defiant way

tough out

Slang

to remain firm in the face of (a specified difficulty) a generation that toughed out the Depression

tough Synonyms

tough

modif.

  1. Strong

    robust, wiry, mighty; see strong 1, 2.

  2. Cohesive

    solid, firm, sturdy, hard, hardened, adhesive, leathery, coherent, inseparable, molded, tight, cemented, unbreakable, in one piece, dense, closely packed.

    Antonyms weak*, fragile*, brittle. *

  3. Difficult to chew

    uncooked, half-cooked, gristly, sinewy, indigestible, inedible, fibrous, old, tough as shoe-leather*; see also raw 1.

    Antonyms soft*, tender*, overcooked.

  4. Difficult

    unyielding, hard, resisting, troublesome, onerous, intricate, puzzling, laborious; see also difficult 1, severe 1.

    Antonyms easy*, simple*, obvious. *

  5. Hardy

    robust, sound, capable; see healthy 1.

  6. *Rough and cruel

    savage, fierce, desperate, ferocious, ruffianly, uproarious, terrible, rapacious, riotous, uncontrollable, unmanageable.

    Antonyms friendly*, genial*, easygoing. *

  7. *Unfavorable

    bad, unfortunate, untimely; see unfavorable 2.

  8. *Excellent

    fine, first-class, premium; see excellent.

tough it out

persevere, persist, endure; see endure 1.

tough Usage Examples

Preposition: on

  • crime: Or, to revive a slogan coined by Brown: tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.
  • terror: BLAIR: Firstly, we must be tough on terror and tough on the causes of terror.
  • cause: Tough on crime tough on the causes of crime.
  • terrorism: He is trying to wrong-foot all those who oppose 90-days detention to prove that only he is tough on terrorism.

Preposition: as

  • boot: She must be, as she looks, as tough as old boots.

Modifies a noun

  • stance: We need to take a tough stance on all legal wrongs.
  • opponent: You're almost there now: the penultimate chapter should detail a World XI, Club XI or toughest opponents XI.
  • nut: A: Options on spread bets, options on futures, options on stocks, they're often a tough nut to crack.
  • guy: Now he's set to become a Hollywood tough guy.
  • decision: First, we took the tough decision to prioritize which schemes should get the go ahead.
  • penalty: The campaign will also seek tougher new criminal penalties at the federal level.

Modifying Another Word

  • pretty: The Pentium 4 was pretty tough for us to get ramped into the marketplace.

Infinitive complement

  • withstand: The balls are made of wipe-clean vinyl that's tough enough to withstand heavy weights, and they are anti-burst for your safety.
  • stomach: Tough to stomach farm would not central los angeles the new york.
  • beat: The U.S. is overrated, I feel, and the Czechs will be very tough to beat.
  • crack: Two games proving even tougher to crack than chess are bridge and Go.

Used with adjective complement

  • get: Need to get tough on illegal immigrants working in the UK?
  • prove: Two games proving even tougher to crack than chess are bridge and Go.
  • talk: Gordon Brown started talking tough this week about standing up to the unions over pensions.
  • hang: Spain, it is true, is still hanging tough despite massively mounting opposition to the policy of Jose Maria Aznar.
tough Quotes

It's bloody tough being a legend.

—Atkinson, Ron

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

—Rockne, Knute Kenneth

You help them get elected, and then the Senate becomes the wife, the mistress. That was one lady I couldn't begin to fight. She was too tough.

—Taylor, Elizabeth Rosemond

Labour is the Party of law and order in Britain todayötough on crime and tough on the causes of crime.

—Blair,Tony (Anthony Charles Lynton)

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day likea football, and it will be round and full at evening.

—Holmes, Oliver Wendell

Browse dictionary entries near tough

  1. ‹ touchy-feely
  2. ‹ touchy
  3. ‹ touchwood
  4. ‹ touchstone
  5. ‹ touchline
  6. ‹ touching
  7. ‹ touchhole
  8. ‹ touched
  9. ‹ touchdown
  10. ‹ touchback
  1. tough love ›
  2. tough-minded ›
  3. toughen ›
  4. toughie ›
  5. toujours ›
  6. Toulon ›
  7. Toulouse ›
  8. Toulouse-Lautrec ›
  9. toupee ›
  10. tour ›