toughness
Britishnoun
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the quality or an instance of being tough
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metallurgy the ability of a metal to withstand repeated twisting and bending, measured by the energy in kilojoules needed to break it See brittleness softness
Vocabulary lists containing toughness
Engineering - Introductory
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Mechanical Engineering
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Structural Engineering
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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.
One of the most notable was its ability to combine tensile strength and toughness, two properties that are often difficult to achieve together in conventional materials.
From Science Daily • Jun. 15, 2026
I have always prided myself on my grit, but this place has made me realize that perhaps East Coast toughness masks a greater vulnerability.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
While some winning coaches were making their names with toughness that bordered on abuse, he urged Close to see her teams as human beings first, not X’s and O’s.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
And in more recent years, he became the subject of a string of internet memes, including "Chuck Norris facts", which jokingly exaggerated his strength and toughness.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
A successful quest for Olympic gold would require finding nine young men of exceptional strength, grace, endurance, and most of all mental toughness.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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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.