tough

TUF/tʌf/

11 meanings of tough

1
adjective
Involving considerable difficulty, effort, or hardship; demanding to handle or endure.
Negotiating the merger proved a tough assignment for the new manager.
Marathon training is tough on both the body and the mind.
UsageCommon in a tough choice, a tough question, tough times; something is tough on your body or tough for you.
Similardifficult, hard, demanding, challenging, arduous
Oppositeeasy, simple, effortless
2
strictadjective
Strict and firm in dealing with people; not lenient.
The judge was known for being tough on repeat offenders.
Voters wanted a tough policy on corruption.
UsageUsually tough on someone or something, as in tough on crime; also tough about rules.
Similarstrict, harsh, severe, stern, hard
Oppositelenient, soft, permissive, lax
3
hard to breakadjective
Strong and resilient, able to withstand wear, pressure, or damage; sturdy.
The new phone case is tough enough to survive a fall onto concrete.
Hikers prefer tough fabrics that resist tearing on rocky trails.
UsageOften tough enough to + verb: tough enough to survive a fall.
Similarsturdy, solid, hard, robust, stout
Oppositefragile, flimsy, delicate, weak
Note
A tough fabric bends, stretches and holds rather than tearing. Tough puts the stress on holding together under strain and repeated abuse.
4
hard to chewadjective
Difficult to cut or chew, as with meat that has not been cooked until tender.
Overcooked beef can turn tough and stringy.
The diner served a tough cut of meat that needed constant chewing.
UsageThe opposite is tender; meat goes or turns tough when overcooked.
Similarchewy, leathery, rubbery, gristly
Oppositetender
5
adjective
Physically or mentally strong and resilient; able to endure hardship, pain, or opposition without giving up.
Mountain guides need to be tough to survive long climbs in thin air.
Her grandmother was a tough woman who raised six children on a remote ranch.
Similarstrong, resilient, hardy, rugged, tenacious
Oppositeweak, soft, fragile
6
adjective
Rough, rowdy, or inclined toward violence; characteristic of a rough crowd or area.
She grew up on a tough block where fights broke out most weekends.
A gang of tough kids hung around the alley after dark.
UsageOften of places: a tough neighborhood, a tough part of the city.
Similarrowdy, unruly, disorderly
Oppositerespectable

Less common meanings

7
no sympathyinterjectionslang
Said in response to a complaint to show a lack of sympathy.
"I didn't get the promotion." "Tough. Try again next year."
He shrugged and said, "Tough," when she griped about the cold.
UsageAlso tough luck. Said alone after a complaint, it can sound rude unless clearly joking.
8
thugnouncountable
A rough or violent person who obtains things by force; a thug or bully.
A street tough cornered him in the alley and took his wallet.
Hired toughs broke the windows of anyone who refused to pay.
UsageMost often plural, toughs, or with a word before it: a street tough, hired toughs.
Similarthug, hoodlum, ruffian, bully, heavy
Note
The word for rowdy behavior, the "rowdy" adjective, became a noun for the people themselves, and it is most often met in the plural, toughs. David Gunston, writing in Railway Magazine in 1958, recalls a silent-film heroine chained to the rails by two toughs.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
David Gunston wrote the cited passage in Railway Magazine in 1958. en.wiktionary.org
Gunston describes a film heroine chained to railway tracks by two toughs. en.wiktionary.org
9
endureverbtransitive
To endure something difficult without giving in.
She had the flu all week but toughed it out and finished her exams.
She decided to tough out the final months of the grueling project.
UsageUsually tough it out; also tough out a hard time: tough out the final months.
Similarendure, weather, survive
Note
In Thoreau's Journal, Minott says he has "toughed it through the winter" and wants to hear the bluebirds once more.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
Thoreau's Journal attributes the words “toughed it through the winter” to Minott, who says he wants to hear the bluebirds once more. walden.org
10
not brittleadjective
In materials science, able to absorb a great deal of energy before fracturing, by combining strength with some ability to deform.
Like soft caramel that pulls and stretches instead of shattering like hard candy.
Mild steel is tough, deforming visibly before it finally fails.
A tough alloy absorbs impact energy by bending rather than cracking.
Similarductile
Oppositebrittle
Note
Engineers mean something narrower than everyday strength. A tough material absorbs energy by deforming plastically, bending and stretching before it fractures, so toughness pairs strength with ductility. Its opposite is brittle: a material that fails with little prior deformation. Keep it apart from the everyday "sturdy" sense. A strong material can still be brittle, because toughness concerns how a material breaks.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
Tough materials absorb energy through plastic deformation before fracturing. bme.eng.ankara.edu.tr
Toughness combines strength with ductility. newscenter.lbl.gov
Brittle behavior contrasts with tough behavior and involves fracture with little prior deformation. processdesign.mccormick.northwestern.edu
Strength does not preclude brittleness. processdesign.mccormick.northwestern.edu
Toughness concerns energy absorption during deformation and fracture, distinguishing it from strength. iitk.ac.in
11
verbrare
To make or become tough; to toughen.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of tough apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Middle English tough, from Old English tōh ("tough, tenacious, sticky"), from Proto-Germanic *tanhuz ("tough, clinging") and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *denḱ- ("to bite"). It is related to Dutch taai and German zäh, both meaning "tough."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

Tough descends through Middle English tough from Old English tōh, with the stated meanings. en.wiktionary.org
The Germanic ancestor is reconstructed as *tanhuz, meaning tough or clinging. en.wiktionary.org
The ultimate reconstructed root is Proto-Indo-European *denḱ-, meaning to bite. en.wiktionary.org
Dutch taai and German zäh are cognates of tough. en.wiktionary.org
Dutch taai and German zäh both mean tough. en.wiktionary.org