tough-minded

[tuhf-mahyn-did]

adjective

1. characterized by a practical, unsentimental attitude or point of view.

2. strong-willed; vigorous; not easily swayed.

tough-minded

adjective

1. practical, unsentimental, stern or intractable

Other Word Forms

• tough-mindedly adverb
• tough-mindedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tough-minded¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Based on an especially tough-minded piece of writing, this is a film that will get you contemplating pettiness and righteousness both.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Mr. Khan, known as a gifted speaker and a tough-minded litigator, took an unusual approach to announcing his request for arrest warrants for leaders of Hamas and Israel.

Read more on New York Times

When his business faltered, Trump became a reality television star on “ The Apprentice,” a show that portrayed him as the ideal tough-minded businessman, an image he rode into the White House in 2016.

Read more on Seattle Times

Once it becomes apparent that this droll, tough-minded actress is playing a tomato who wants little more from life than a few trash novels and a jogging partner, confusion set in.

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No matter how tough-minded you are, being in the midst of a jeering crowd that hates truth more than anything is not amendable to any kind of fact-checking.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• hard-nosed 
• single-minded 
• strong-willed