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.
Although the title character creates plenty of speed bumps in the lives of the men and women in Gina Gionfriddo’s tough-minded dark comedy “Becky Shaw,” the terrain was rough to begin with.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
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
Once it becomes apparent that this droll, tough-minded actress is playing a tomato who wants little more from life than a few trash novels and a jogging partner, confusion set in.
From New York Times • Jun. 15, 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.
