tough-minded
Americanadjective
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characterized by a practical, unsentimental attitude or point of view.
-
strong-willed; vigorous; not easily swayed.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- tough-mindedly adverb
- tough-mindedness noun
Etymology
Origin of tough-minded
First recorded in 1905–10
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.
Thomas Perry’s tough-minded heroine Jane Whitefield has been the center of nine previous works of suspense.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Based on an especially tough-minded piece of writing, this is a film that will get you contemplating pettiness and righteousness both.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025
G DeShawn Harris-Smith, Maryland, 6-5, 215: Heralded as a tough-minded and fearless player, the stat-sheet stuffer from Woodbridge, Virginia, led his team to the state title last season.
From Washington Times • Oct. 25, 2023
How does a person whom Time called "a tough-minded man who has long shown an abundance of intellectual and physical resiliency" wind up on a window ledge?
From Salon • Mar. 5, 2023
“Nobody can change that much,” said Brinker in his new tough-minded way.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
