tough adj

1 not given to gentleness or sentimentality; "a tough character" [ant: tender]

2 very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution; "a rugged competitive examination"; "the rugged conditions of frontier life"; "the competition was tough"; "it's a tough life"; "it was a tough job" [syn: rugged]

3 physically toughened; "the tough bottoms of his feet" [syn: toughened] [ant: tender]

4 substantially made or constructed; "sturdy steel shelves"; "sturdy canvas"; "a tough all-weather fabric"; "some plastics are as tough as metal" [syn: sturdy]

5 violent and lawless; "the more ruffianly element"; "tough street gangs" [syn: ruffianly]

6 feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad'); "my throat feels bad"; "she felt bad all over"; "he was feeling tough after a restless night" [syn: bad]

7 tough to cut or chew [ant: tender]

8 unfortunate or hard to bear; "had hard luck"; "a tough break" [syn: hard]

1 someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing [syn: street fighter]

2 an aggressive and violent young criminal [syn: hood, hoodlum, goon, punk, thug, toughie, strong-armer]

3 a cruel and brutal fellow [syn: bully, hooligan, ruffian, roughneck, rowdy, yob, yobo, yobbo]

English

Etymology

tōh

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ʌf

Adjective

en-adj er

1. strong and resilient; sturdy

   The tent, made of tough canvas, held up to many abuses.

2. In the context of "of food": difficult to cut or chew

   To soften a tough cut of meat, the recipe suggested simmering it for hours.

3. rugged or physically hardy

   Only a tough species will survive in the desert.

4. In the context of "of weather etc": harsh or severe
5. rowdy or rough

   A bunch of the tough boys from the wrong side of the tracks threatened him.

6. In the context of "of questions etc": difficult or demanding

   This is a tough crowd.

7. too bad!

   If you don't like it, tough!

8. (material science) Undergoing plastic deformation before breaking. See also toughness.

Noun

1. A person who obtains things by force; a thug or bully.
2. Someone who exhibits courage and defience during a conflict. This is usually one of violence or potential violence.

   They were doing fine until they encountered a bunch of toughs from the opposition.

Translations

• German: zäh, hart, widerstandsfähig, robust
• Dutch: taai, hard, sterk, robuust
• Hebrew: גְּבַרְתָּן (gvartan)
• Italian: bullo
• Lingala: makási, pási

Derived terms

• tough it out

tough call

Tough may refer to:

• Tough (manga), a Japanese manga series by Tetsuya Saruwatari
• "Tough" (song), by country music artist Craig Morgan
• Kirkton of Tough, a settlement in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

See also

• Toughness, the resistance to fracture of a material when stressed
• Machismo, prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity

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