tough love

noun

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

tough love

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tough love¹

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

Example Sentences

Gone are the old adages of tough love and hitting bottom.

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Along the way, there was “tough love” from Freeman that, Bowden says, was exactly what he needed to hear.

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She offers Josh the tough love that he needs, forcing him to see that a grandparent isn’t just a grandparent but a human being with a complicated history that needn’t be worn like a Kleenex visible from under a sleeve.

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After a year and a half of tough love around the continent, Spence returned to a Spurs side now under the management of Postecoglou – and seems to have finally found a manager with who he has a close relationship.

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She served as a judge on “Drag Race Philippines” since its premiere in 2022, tapping into her own experiences to offer competitors tough love and constructive criticism in English and Tagalog.

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