tough

American  

[tuhf] / tʌf /

adjective

tougher, toughest

1. strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.

   Synonyms:

   hard, firm

   Antonyms:

   fragile

2. not brittle or tender.

3. difficult to masticate, as food.

   a tough steak.

4. of viscous consistency, as liquid or semiliquid matter.

   tough molasses.

5. capable of great endurance; sturdy; hardy.

   tough troops.

   Synonyms:

   durable

   Antonyms:

   weak, feeble

6. not easily influenced, as a person; unyielding; stubborn.

   a tough man to work for.

   Synonyms:

   inflexible

7. hardened; incorrigible.

   a tough criminal.

8. difficult to perform, accomplish, or deal with; hard, trying, or troublesome.

   a tough problem.

9. hard to bear or endure (often used ironically).

   tough luck.

10. vigorous; severe; violent.

    a tough struggle.

11. vicious; rough; rowdyish.

    a tough character;

    a tough neighborhood.

12. practical, realistic, and lacking in sentimentality; tough-minded.

13. Slang. remarkably excellent; first-rate; great.

---

adverb

1. in a tough manner.

noun

1. a ruffian; rowdy.

idioms

1. hang tough, hang.

2. tough it out, to endure or resist hardship or adversity.

tough British  

/ tʌf /

adjective

1. strong or resilient; durable

   a tough material

2. not tender

   he could not eat the tough steak

3. having a great capacity for endurance; hardy and fit

   a tough mountaineer

4. rough or pugnacious

   a tough gangster

5. resolute or intractable

   a tough employer

6. difficult or troublesome to do or deal with

   a tough problem

7. informal unfortunate or unlucky

   it's tough on him

---

noun

1. a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person

adverb

1. informal violently, aggressively, or intractably

   to treat someone tough

2. informal to be or appear to be strong or determined

verb

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

tough More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing tough

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

---

Other Word Forms

• supertough adjective
• toughish adjective
• toughly adverb
• toughness noun
• untough adjective
• untoughly adverb
• untoughness noun

Etymology

Origin of tough

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective); Old English tōh; compare Dutch taai, German zäh(e)

Example Sentences

Also read: Stocks surge, ending a tough March on a high note.

From MarketWatch

He said the firm would adopt tough policies to tackle insider trading.

From MarketWatch

Retailer Topps Tiles has announced it will close 23 stores in the face of a tougher home improvement market and rising costs.

From BBC

While losing at home has made things that much tougher, with just one goal in it, United still head to Munich believing a first Champions League semi-final is within their grasp.

From BBC

Tuchel will rightly say Uruguay and Japan are the tough tests England required to tune up for the World Cup, but the burning question is still the same and has not been answered.

From BBC

Related Words

• desperate
• fierce
• hard
• hard-nosed
• harsh
• narrow
• resolute
• severe
• stern
• stiff
• strict
• terrible