tough

American  

[tuhf] / tʌf /

adjective

tougher, toughest

1. strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.

   Synonyms:

   hard, firm

   Antonyms:

   fragile

2. not brittle or tender.

3. difficult to masticate, as food.

   a tough steak.

4. of viscous consistency, as liquid or semiliquid matter.

   tough molasses.

5. capable of great endurance; sturdy; hardy.

   tough troops.

   Synonyms:

   durable

   Antonyms:

   weak, feeble

6. not easily influenced, as a person; unyielding; stubborn.

   a tough man to work for.

   Synonyms:

   inflexible

7. hardened; incorrigible.

   a tough criminal.

8. difficult to perform, accomplish, or deal with; hard, trying, or troublesome.

   a tough problem.

9. hard to bear or endure (often used ironically).

   tough luck.

10. vigorous; severe; violent.

    a tough struggle.

11. vicious; rough; rowdyish.

    a tough character;

    a tough neighborhood.

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

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

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adverb

1. in a tough manner.

noun

1. a ruffian; rowdy.

idioms

1. hang tough, hang.

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

tough British  

/ tʌf /

adjective

1. strong or resilient; durable

   a tough material

2. not tender

   he could not eat the tough steak

3. having a great capacity for endurance; hardy and fit

   a tough mountaineer

4. rough or pugnacious

   a tough gangster

5. resolute or intractable

   a tough employer

6. difficult or troublesome to do or deal with

   a tough problem

7. informal unfortunate or unlucky

   it's tough on him

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noun

1. a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person

adverb

1. informal violently, aggressively, or intractably

   to treat someone tough

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

verb

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

tough More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing tough

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

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Other Word Forms

• supertough adjective
• toughish adjective
• toughly adverb
• toughness noun
• untough adjective
• untoughly adverb
• untoughness noun

Etymology

Origin of tough

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

Example Sentences

Flying in crews and swapping them out remains tough because flights to major crew-change locations, including Dubai, are still relatively scarce and expensive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

"You need leaders to drag people through tough times. That's what you need but we are not seeing that from the manager."

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

After the Mavericks, they’ll have tough games against Oklahoma City, Golden State and Phoenix before finishing against lowly Utah on April 12.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

These are tough sights to put in a film, tougher still to thread them to a notion of personal compromise.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Him he carved in tough wood, fiercely gnawing the forms out with his teeth.

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig

Related Words

• desperate
• fierce
• hard
• hard-nosed
• harsh
• narrow
• resolute
• severe
• stern
• stiff
• strict
• terrible