tough

[ tuhf ]
See synonyms for: toughtoughertoughesttoughness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,tough·er, tough·est.
  1. strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.

  2. not brittle or tender.

  1. difficult to masticate, as food: a tough steak.

  2. of viscous consistency, as liquid or semiliquid matter: tough molasses.

  3. capable of great endurance; sturdy; hardy: tough troops.

  4. not easily influenced, as a person; unyielding; stubborn: a tough man to work for.

  5. hardened; incorrigible: a tough criminal.

  6. difficult to perform, accomplish, or deal with; hard, trying, or troublesome: a tough problem.

  7. hard to bear or endure (often used ironically): tough luck.

  8. vigorous; severe; violent: a tough struggle.

  9. vicious; rough; rowdyish: a tough character;a tough neighborhood.

  10. practical, realistic, and lacking in sentimentality; tough-minded.

  11. Slang. remarkably excellent; first-rate; great.

adverb
  1. in a tough manner.

noun
  1. a ruffian; rowdy.

Idioms about tough

  1. hang tough, Slang. hang (def. 62).

  2. tough it out, Informal. to endure or resist hardship or adversity.

Origin of tough

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective); Old English tōh; compare Dutch taai, German zäh(e)

Other words for tough

Opposites for tough

Other words from tough

  • toughly, adverb
  • toughness, noun
  • su·per·tough, adjective
  • un·tough, adjective
  • un·tough·ly, adverb
  • un·tough·ness, noun

Words Nearby tough

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tough in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tough

tough

/ (tʌf) /


adjective
  1. strong or resilient; durable: a tough material

  2. not tender: he could not eat the tough steak

  1. having a great capacity for endurance; hardy and fit: a tough mountaineer

  2. rough or pugnacious: a tough gangster

  3. resolute or intractable: a tough employer

  4. difficult or troublesome to do or deal with: a tough problem

  5. informal unfortunate or unlucky: it's tough on him

noun
  1. a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person

adverb
  1. informal violently, aggressively, or intractably: to treat someone tough

  2. hang tough informal to be or appear to be strong or determined

verb
  1. (tr) slang to stand firm, hold out against (a difficulty or difficult situation) (esp in tough it out)

Origin of tough

1
Old English tōh; related to Old High German zāhi tough, Old Norse trodden ground in front of a house

Derived forms of tough

  • toughish, adjective
  • toughly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with tough

tough

In addition to the idioms beginning with tough

  • tough break
  • tough it out
  • tough nut
  • tough row to hoe
  • tough sledding

also see:

  • get tough
  • gut (tough) it out
  • hang tough
  • hard (tough) act to follow
  • hard (tough) nut to crack

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.