Word Frequency
tough (tʌf
)
Definitions
adjective
- strong or resilient; durable ⇒
a tough material
- not tender ⇒
he could not eat the tough steak
- having a great capacity for endurance; hardy and fit ⇒
a tough mountaineer
- rough or pugnacious ⇒
a tough gangster
- resolute or intractable ⇒
a tough employer
- difficult or troublesome to do or deal with ⇒
a tough problem
- (informal) unfortunate or unlucky ⇒
it's tough on him
noun
- a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person
adverb
- (informal) violently, aggressively, or intractably ⇒
to treat someone tough
-
See hang tough
verb
- tr (slang) to stand firm, hold out against (a difficulty or difficult situation) (esp in tough it out)
Derived Forms
ˈtoughish adjectiveˈtoughly adverb
Word Origin
Old English tōh; related to Old High German zāhi tough, Old Norse tā trodden ground in front of a houseSynonyms
View thesaurus entry = strong, determined, aggressive, high-powered, feisty, hard-nosed, self-confident, unyielding, carnivorous, hard as nails, two-fisted, self-assertive, badass,
= hardy, strong, seasoned, fit, strapping, hardened, vigorous, sturdy, stout, stalwart, resilient, brawny, hard as nails
= strict, severe, stern, hard, firm, exacting, adamant, resolute, draconian, intractable, inflexible, merciless, unforgiving, unyielding, unbending,
Translations for 'tough'
- British English: tough A tough person has a strong character and can tolerate difficulty or hardship.He built up a reputation as a tough businessman.tʌf ADJECTIVE
- Arabic: قَاسٍ
- Brazilian Portuguese: resistente
- Chinese: 强硬的
- Croatian: čvrst čvrsta
- Czech: pevný
- Danish: barsk
- Dutch: taai
- European Spanish: fuerteresistente
- Finnish: vahva
- French: durferme
- German: zäh
- Greek: σκληρός σκληρή
- Italian: duro dura
- Japanese: 丈夫な
- Korean: 질긴
- Norwegian: tøff
- Polish: nieustępliwy nieustępliwa
- Portuguese: resistente
- Romanian: dur dur, dură, duri, dure
- Russian: жесткий жесткая
- Spanish: fuerte
- Swedish: tuff tufft
- Thai: ที่ทนทาน
- Turkish: sağlam
- Ukrainian: жорсткий
- Vietnamese: gai góc
Example Sentences Including 'tough'
"I suppose we expected to beat Derry, who are having a tough season.Irish Times (2002)
Blown vinyl is embossed paper which you have to paint and it is quite tough.Glasgow Herald (2001)
Carol marvelled at how easily she was playing the role of the tough businesswoman she was supposed to be.THE LAST TEMPTATION (2002)
I likened it to for ever climbing a hill, and the going is tough.BETTER THAN THIS (2002)
It was like skinning a tough piece of raw fish, except with the scalpel blades it was a lot easier.A DARKENING STAIN (2002)
Perhaps the short course race isn't as tough as last year, but it won't be easy.Irish Times (2002)
The streets were shod with pieces of tough basalt fitted together in a coarse jigsaw.THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)
Venice Sizzles Carla Passino finds the buyers ' market in Venice a tough one as Italians increasingly choose to invest in property.Country Life (2004)
We should be tough on the Scottish football team and tough on the causes of the Scottish football team.Glasgow Herald (2001)
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