51Թ

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View synonyms for

tough

[tuhf]

adjective

tougher, toughest 
  1. strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.

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

    a tough man to work for.

    Synonyms:
  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.

tough

/ ʌ /

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. informalunfortunate or unlucky

    it's tough on him

“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

noun

  1. a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person

“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

adverb

  1. informalviolently, aggressively, or intractably

    to treat someone tough

  2. informalto be or appear to be strong or determined

“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

verb

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

“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
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • toughly adverb
  • toughness noun
  • supertough adjective
  • untough adjective
  • untoughly adverb
  • untoughness noun
  • ˈٴdzܲ󾱲 adjective
  • ˈٴdzܲ adverb
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of tough1

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective); Old English ō; compare Dutch taai, German ä()
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of tough1

Old English ō; related to Old High German tough, Old Norse trodden ground in front of a house
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. hang tough, hang.

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

In addition to the idioms beginning with tough, also see get tough; gut (tough) it out; hang tough; hard (tough) act to follow; hard (tough) nut to crack.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Norris said it was "tough to say" whether this had improved the feeling coming from the car.

From

The tough choice was the tyres and I think we chose the right ones.

From

"To get the mindset right when you qualify early as we did is quite tough," he said.

From

“It struggles because L.A. is an expensive place to do business ... and apparel is a really tough business to be in in the United States.”

From

Sometimes I find it tougher than others and it just depends how you feel and how the weather is, because the hotter it is the harder it is.

From

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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.

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