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)
Alternative Forms
ˈtoughish adjective ˈtoughly adverbWord 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
- 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 He built up a reputation as a tough businessman.
- Spanish:
fuerte
adj
- French:
dur
adj
- German:
zäh
adj
- Chinese: 强硬的 adj
- Arabic: قَاسٍ adj
- Portuguese: resistente adj
- Russian: жесткий adj жесткая
- Croatian: čvrst adj čvrsta
- Czech: pevný adj
- Danish: barsk adj
- Dutch: taai adj
- Finnish: vahva adj
- Greek: σκληρός adj σκληρή
- Italian: duro adj dura
- Japanese: 丈夫な no_posp
- Korean: 질긴 adj
- Norwegian: tøff adj
- Polish: nieustępliwy adj nieustępliwa
- Brazilian Portuguese: resistente adj
- European Spanish:
fuerte
adj
- Swedish: tuff adj tufft
- Thai: ที่ทนทาน adj
- Turkish: sağlam adj
- Vietnamese: dai adj
Usage examples
David might face criminal charges; at any event the sawmill, the entire town, would face tough times.
, LOST SUMMER (2002)Venice Sizzles Carla Passino finds the buyers ' market in Venice a tough one as Italians increasingly choose to invest in property.
Country Life (2004)Quotes of the week "The title race is not over, everyone's got tough games coming up.
Irish Times (2002)Smith's explanation of what makes the Lions such a tough challenge is akin to comparing it with rugby's version of the Olympics.
Glasgow Herald (2001)The streets were shod with pieces of tough basalt fitted together in a coarse jigsaw.
, THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)