# tough

Pronunciation: say "TUF" /tʌf/

## Adjective

1. Involving considerable difficulty, effort, or hardship; demanding to handle or endure.
   - Simple: Hard to do or deal with, or full of problems and hardship.
   - _Negotiating the merger proved a tough assignment for the new manager._
   - _Marathon training is tough on both the body and the mind._
2. Strict and firm in dealing with people; not lenient.
   - Simple: Strict and firm, not soft or easy on people.
   - _The judge was known for being tough on repeat offenders._
   - _Voters wanted a tough policy on corruption._
3. Strong and resilient, able to withstand wear, pressure, or damage; sturdy.
   - Simple: Strong enough to last a long time without breaking or wearing out.
   - _The new phone case is tough enough to survive a fall onto concrete._
   - _Hikers prefer tough fabrics that resist tearing on rocky trails._
4. Difficult to cut or chew, as with meat that has not been cooked until tender.
   - Simple: Hard to cut or chew, like meat that is not soft.
   - _Overcooked beef can turn tough and stringy._
   - _The diner served a tough cut of meat that needed constant chewing._
5. Physically or mentally strong and resilient; able to endure hardship, pain, or opposition without giving up.
   - Simple: Strong enough in body or mind to keep going through pain, hardship, or opposition.
   - _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._
6. Rough, rowdy, or inclined toward violence; characteristic of a rough crowd or area.
   - Simple: Rough and likely to fight or cause trouble.
   - _She grew up on a tough block where fights broke out most weekends._
   - _A gang of tough kids hung around the alley after dark._
10. In materials science, able to absorb a great deal of energy before fracturing, by combining strength with some ability to deform.
   - Simple: Able to take a lot of force or a hard hit before it cracks or breaks.
   - _Mild steel is tough, deforming visibly before it finally fails._
   - _A tough alloy absorbs impact energy by bending rather than cracking._

## Interjection

7. Said in response to a complaint to show a lack of sympathy. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Said to show you don't feel sorry about someone's trouble.
   - _"I didn't get the promotion." "Tough. Try again next year."_
   - _He shrugged and said, "Tough," when she griped about the cold._

## Noun

8. A rough or violent person who obtains things by force; a thug or bully.
   - Simple: A rough person who uses force or threats to get what they want.
   - _A street tough cornered him in the alley and took his wallet._
   - _Hired toughs broke the windows of anyone who refused to pay._

## Verb

9. To endure something difficult without giving in.
   - Simple: To put up with something hard without giving up.
   - _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._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To make or become tough; to toughen.

## 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."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tough (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).