tough love

American  

noun

1. a mixture of toughness and warmth used in a relationship, especially with an adolescent.

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tough love British  

noun

1. the practice of taking a stern attitude towards a relative or friend suffering from an addiction, etc, to help the addict overcome the problem

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Etymology

Origin of tough love

First recorded in 1977; after Toughlove, a network of support groups

Example Sentences

Dear Amy: I have two words of advice for all of the enabling parents who reach out to you for advice: Tough love!

From Washington Post • Jun. 27, 2022

Tough love: One place you may not want to work, says Wired, is Tesla.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2018

Tough love was all she understood and, later on, all she had to offer.

From Washington Post • Sep. 15, 2017

He spent the rest of the seven-minute segment aggressively challenging her claims, telling her at one point, "Tough love is OK, as long as the rest of the country doesn't get hurt."

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2011

Tough love, for example, is a good idea in principle, but in some situations it can do more harm than good, especially if it makes kids who can't control their behavior feel worse about themselves.

From Time Magazine Archive