tough

[tuhf]

See more synonyms for tough on Thesaurus.com

adjective, tough·er, tough·est.

strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.
not brittle or tender.
difficult to masticate, as food: a tough steak.

of viscous consistency, as liquid or semiliquid matter: tough molasses.
capable of great endurance; sturdy; hardy: tough troops.
not easily influenced, as a person; unyielding; stubborn: a tough man to work for.
hardened; incorrigible: a tough criminal.
difficult to perform, accomplish, or deal with; hard, trying, or troublesome: a tough problem.
hard to bear or endure (often used ironically): tough luck.
vigorous; severe; violent: a tough struggle.
vicious; rough; rowdyish: a tough character; a tough neighborhood.
practical, realistic, and lacking in sentimentality; tough-minded.
Slang. remarkably excellent; first-rate; great.

adverb

in a tough manner.

noun

a ruffian; rowdy.

Idioms

hang tough, Slang. hang(def 56).
tough it out, Informal. to endure or resist hardship or adversity.

Origin of tough

before 900; Middle English (adj.); Old English tōh; compare Dutch taai, German zäh(e)

Related formstough·ly, adverbtough·ness, nounsu·per·tough, adjectiveun·tough, adjectiveun·tough·ly, adverbun·tough·ness, noun

Synonyms for tough

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. firm, hard. 5. durable. 6. inflexible.

Antonyms for tough

1. fragile. 5. feeble, weak.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for toughness

perseverance, resolve, grit, stubbornness, willpower, seriousness, decisiveness, firmness, fortitude, persistence, sharpness, resoluteness, will, earnestness, backbone, obstinacy, pluck, spine, purposefulness, purpose

Examples from the Web for toughness

Contemporary Examples of toughness

And despite the training and toughness, the man was struggling to keep his family together.
Hunt for Iraq Vet After Killing Spree
M.L. Nestel
December 16, 2014
Right, that toughness was always inside her, like the way she had given up crying.
Exit Interview: The Walking Dead's Beth Tells All
Melissa Leon
December 1, 2014
Female candidates once had to prove their toughness above all and never mention their personal lives.
The Gubernatorial Glass Ceiling—and What It Means for Hillary Clinton
Eleanor Clift
June 5, 2014
Grimes is a smart person who has projected nothing but fear and uncertainty thinly veiled with endless boasts of toughness.
Alison Grimes Will Have to Step It Up to Beat Mitch McConnell
Sam Youngman
November 30, 2013
In this mood, Democrats may care a lot more about toughness and combativeness than about minute gradations of progressiveness.
How Obama is Setting the Stage for Hillary in 2016
David Frum
September 15, 2013

Historical Examples of toughness

And all the more so, since for strength and toughness its eyes by nature are the best constructed.
The Symposium
Xenophon
The toughness of aluminum can be increased by adding a small per cent.
Practical Mechanics for Boys
J. S. Zerbe
The food, notwithstanding its toughness, rapidly disappeared.
Lights and Shadows in Confederate Prisons
Homer B. Sprague
This is only a sample of its toughness and resisting power all along the line.
Preventable Diseases
Woods Hutchinson
The strength and toughness of elm make it suitable for frames of tables.
American Forest Trees
Henry H. Gibson

British Dictionary definitions for toughness

toughness

noun

the quality or an instance of being tough
metallurgy the ability of a metal to withstand repeated twisting and bending, measured by the energy in kilojoules needed to break itSee brittleness (def. 2), softness (def. 2)

tough

adjective

strong or resilient; durablea tough material
not tenderhe could not eat the tough steak
having a great capacity for endurance; hardy and fita tough mountaineer
rough or pugnaciousa tough gangster
resolute or intractablea tough employer
difficult or troublesome to do or deal witha tough problem
informal unfortunate or unluckyit's tough on him

noun

a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person

adverb

informal violently, aggressively, or intractablyto treat someone tough
hang tough informal to be or appear to be strong or determined

verb

(tr) slang to stand firm, hold out against (a difficulty or difficult situation) (esp in tough it out)

Derived Formstoughish, adjectivetoughly, adverb

Word Origin for tough

Old English tōh; related to Old High German zāhi tough, Old Norse tā trodden ground in front of a house

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

Word Origin and History for toughness

tough

adj.

Old English toh "difficult to break or chew," from Proto-Germanic *tankhuz (cf. Middle Low German tege, Middle Dutch taey, Dutch taai, Old High German zach, German zäh). See rough for spelling change.

Figurative sense of "strenuous, difficult, hard to beat" is first recorded c.1200; that of "hard to do, trying, laborious" is from 1610s. Verb tough it "endure the experience" is first recorded 1830, American English. Tough guy first recorded 1932. Tough-minded first recorded 1907 in William James. Tough luck first recorded 1912; tough shit is from 1946.

tough

"street ruffian," 1866, American English, from tough (adj.).

Idioms and Phrases with toughness

tough

In addition to the idioms beginning with tough

tough break
tough it out
tough nut
tough row to hoe
tough sledding

also see:

get tough
gut (tough) it out
hang tough
hard (tough) act to follow
hard (tough) nut to crack