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
Filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn’s nail-biter owes some of its tough-minded minimalism to Walter Hill’s 1978 “The Driver,” though when your style is this confident, the result transcends all predecessors.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2024
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
In many ways she was as cool and competent as Henry; tough-minded and solitary in her habits, and in many ways as aloof.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
