tough love

noun

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

Origin of tough love

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tough love

Contemporary Examples of tough love

She maintains the tough-love attitude of a pioneer, when it comes to her protégés.
Surf Girls: The Next Wave
Nicole LaPorte
August 30, 2009
But they see themselves as something of a tough-love organization.
Family of Hate
John Avlon
July 23, 2009

British Dictionary definitions for tough love

tough love

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