tough-minded
Americanadjective
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characterized by a practical, unsentimental attitude or point of view.
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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.
The authorities say it was an accident, but Isaiah’s neighbor—a taciturn, tough-minded 37-year-old woman named Smilla—suspects foul play.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 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
Supervision of the contentious negotiations was placed in the hands of then-Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, who was thought to be sufficiently tough-minded to bring the states to heel.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2023
And I tell myself I'm proud of myself for being so mentally strong, so tough-minded.
From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements
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.
