Showing results for tough love. Search instead for tough lah.

tough love

American

noun

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

tough love British

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of tough love

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

tough love

He was known for pushing players to succeed on and off the field with discipline and tough love.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

Still, she delivered some Kirkian tough love when she urged the audience to use their unattached time to seek self-improvement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

That tough love he talks about now began around then.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

In response to Reddit’s tough love, Parkins decluttered the house, had new listing photos taken and cut the asking price.

From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026

But it doesn’t always work, because you’re giving the kid tough love when maybe he just needs love.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023