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.

By all measures, Charles is choosing country over family, tough love over sibling loyalty, preserving the crown above all else.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Clinton Kelly and Stacy London return as its hosts, older, wiser and atoning for the tough love and scathing real talk they once doled out to style-challenged guests.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2026

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo showed some tough love for one of his former players on Monday night during the Spartans’ blowout victory against USC in East Lansing.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

And now some tough love: If you don’t pay off your balance every month, don’t get another card.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 2, 2025

They warded off the negative stereotypes that haunted Negroes like shadows, using tough love to protect both the errant individual and the group from her failings.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

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