Tough — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb noun verb /ˈtəf/

Meaning & Definition of Tough

Tough (adjective)

  1. difficult to accomplish, resolve, endure, or deal with
  2. capable of enduring strain, hardship, or severe labor
  3. unruly, rowdyish

Tough (adverb)

  1. in a tough manner

Tough (noun)

  1. a tough and violent person, rowdy

Tough (verb)

  1. to bear unflinchingly, endure —usually used with out especially in the phrase tough it out

Tough (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not easily chewed

    "her steak was so tough that she suggested the waiter use it as a hockey puck"

    similar: chewy, leathery
    related: fibrous, gristly, sinewy, stringy, brittle, crunchy, hard, cardboardy
    opposite: tender
    near: mushy, soft

  2. able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure

    "this is a tough plant that easily withstands harsh winters"

    similar: cast-iron, hard, hard-bitten, hardened, hardy, inured, rugged, stout, strong, sturdy, toughened, vigorous
    related: flinty, leathery, resilient, stalwart, durable, enduring, everlasting, immortal, imperishable, lasting, permanent, stable, staunch, staying, tenacious, unyielding, flourishing, prospering, thriving, able-bodied, brawny, muscular, fit, fortified, hale, healthy, husky, lusty, red-blooded, robust, sound, strapping, virile, annealed, seasoned, tempered
    opposite: delicate, nonhardy, soft, tender, weak
    near: emasculated, enervated, enfeebled, exhausted, run-down, sapped, wasted, weakened, worn, worn-out, crippled, debilitated, diseased, incapacitated, infirm, unsound, fragile, frail, puny, resistless, sensitive, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding, mortal, perishable, temporary, transient

  3. difficult to endure

    "tough weather conditions on the top of the mountain all year long"

    similar: bitter, brutal, burdensome, cruel, excruciating, grievous, grim, hard, hardhanded, harsh, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, searing, severe, stiff, trying
    related: austere, bleak, comfortless, discomforting, forbidding, inhospitable, spartan, uncomfortable, biting, inclement, intemperate, wild, rigorous, strict, stringent, agonizing, heartbreaking, heartrending, painful, wretched, crushing, grinding, overwhelming, wearing, insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable, harrowing, tortuous, bad, disagreeable, hostile, unfriendly, unpleasant
    opposite: easy, light, soft
    near: comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug, agreeable, friendly, genial, hospitable, pleasant, peaceful, relaxing, reposeful, restful, bearable, endurable, painless, tolerable, balmy, calm, clement, gentle, mild, moderate, temperate

  4. requiring considerable physical or mental effort

    "even if you study for it, it's still a tough exam"

    similar: arduous, Augean, backbreaking, challenging, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, formidable, grueling, hard, heavy, hellacious, herculean, killer, laborious, moiling, murderous, pick-and-shovel, rigorous, rough, rugged, severe, stiff, strenuous, sweaty, tall, testing, toilsome, uphill
    related: abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, elusive, hairy, insoluble, intricate, involved, knotty, opaque, problematic, recondite, serious, spiny, stubborn, thorny, ticklish, tricky, bruising, burdensome, exhausting, labored, onerous, oppressive, stressful, taxing, tight, trying, annoying, bothersome, distressing, irksome, troublesome, vexatious, grievous, grim, strict, stringent, brutal, cruel, inhuman, painful
    opposite: cheap, easy, effortless, facile, light, mindless, simple, soft, undemanding
    near: achievable, clear, doable, elementary, manageable, uncomplicated, comforting, gentle, painless, relaxed, smooth, soothing, accessible, friendly, idiotproof, user-friendly

  5. requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling

    "handled a tough situation with the aplomb and tact of a true diplomat"

    similar: catchy, delicate, difficult, dodgy (chiefly British), hairy, knotty, nasty, prickly, problematic, sensitive, spiny, sticky, thorny, ticklish, touchy, tricksy, tricky
    related: abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, hard, intricate, involved, recondite, serious, problem, scabrous, stubborn, troublesome, troublous, vexatious, vexing, worrisome, burdensome, demanding, discommoding, exacting, exhausting, importunate, inconvenient, onerous, oppressive, painful, stressful
    near: easy, effortless, manageable, painless, simple, straightforward, uncomplicated, undemanding, unproblematic

  6. given to exacting standards of discipline and self-restraint

    "a tough supervisor who docked the pay of anyone who punched in late, no matter what the reason"

    similar: austere, authoritarian, flinty, hard, harsh, heavy-handed, ramrod, rigid, rigorous, severe, stern, strict
    related: demanding, exacting, uncharitable, unforgiving, adamant, adamantine, callous, hardened, hard-hearted, hard-line, immovable, implacable, inflexible, merciless, ossified, pitiless, relentless, rock-ribbed, stiff, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unsparing, unyielding, dour, gruff, ascetic, monastic, monkish, browbeating, bullying, determined, firm, resolved, single-minded, steadfast, unflinching, dogged, intractable, obstinate
    opposite: clement, forbearing, gentle, indulgent, lax, lenient, tolerant
    near: easy, easygoing, laid-back, undemanding, charitable, kind, merciful, mild, patient, soft, softhearted, accepting, compromising, yielding, responsive, willing, acquiescent, agreeable, amenable, complaisant, compliant, flexible, pliable, pliant

Tough (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang

    "didn't want her son hanging out with the neighborhood toughs"

    similar: bully, gangbanger, gangsta, gangster, goon, gorilla, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, mobster, mug, plug-ugly, punk, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, thug, toughie, yob (British), yobbo (British)
    related: cutthroat, scoundrel, villain, assassin, bandit, bravo, brigand, criminal, crook, desperado, felon, gunman, highwayman, lawbreaker, mafioso, malefactor, offender, outlaw, perp, perpetrator, pirate, pickpocket, racketeer, robber, swindler, thief, vandal, juvenile delinquent, tearaway (British)

Related Entry: Tough it out (phrase)

Tough it out is a different word from Tough. The synonyms below are for tough it out, not for tough.

  1. to put up with (something painful or difficult)

    "I know you feel sick, but can you tough it out until the end of your work shift?"

    similar: abide, absorb, accept, bear, bide (chiefly dialect), brook, countenance, endure, go, hack, handle, meet, pocket, stand, stick out, stomach, support, sustain, sweat out, take, tolerate, wear (British), live with, lump (it), stand for
    related: allow, permit, suffer, swallow, reconcile (to), acquiesce, agree (with or to), assent (to), capitulate, consent (to), respect, submit (to), yield (to)
    near: decline, dismiss, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn, turn down, combat, contest, fight, oppose, resist, avoid, bypass, circumvent, dodge, elude, escape, evade, miss, abstain (from), forbear, refrain (from)

Related Entry: Tough-minded (adjective)

Tough-minded is a different word from Tough. The synonyms below are for tough-minded, not for tough.

  1. as in unsentimental, hard-edged

    similar: bottom-line, hard, hard-boiled, hard-edged, unromantic, unsentimental, commonsensical, grounded, levelheaded, logical, no-nonsense, rational, reasonable, sane, sensible, sober, sobersided, sound, cynical, disillusioned, misanthropic, pessimistic, idealless, philistine, utilitarian, distrustful, mistrustful, skeptical, suspicious, down-to-earth, earthy, hardheaded, matter-of-fact, practical, pragmatic, realistic
    opposite: blue-sky, idealistic, impractical, unrealistic, utopian, visionary, fanciful, fantastic, imaginative, romantic, sentimental, cheerful, optimistic, rose-colored, trustful, trusting, unsuspicious, half-baked, illogical, insane, irrational, unreasonable, theoretical

Related Entry: Hang (verb)

Hang is a different word from Tough. The synonyms below are for hang, not for tough.

  1. to place on an elevated point without support from below

    "hang your coats on the coat rack in the hall"

    similar: dangle, sling, suspend, swing
    related: hook, mount, pin, tack, drape, festoon, garland, string, extend (out), jut, project, stick out, overhang, protrude, cascade, depend, fall, balance, poise

  2. to be determined by, based on, or subject (to)

    "our plan to go to the amusement park has all been worked out; now it just hangs on the weather"

    similar: depend, hinge, ride, turn
    related: base, establish, found, rest, stay, ground

  3. to be limp from lack of water or vigor

    "as they neared the end of the long, hard march all but the most hardy were hanging, and some could barely put one foot in front of the other"

    similar: droop, flag, loll, sag, swag, wilt
    related: slouch, slump, cave (in), collapse, crumple, drop, fall, sink, subside, yield
    near: distend, stiffen, rise, straighten, unbend, uncurl

  4. to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air

    "hanging just above the horizon was a little pink cloud"

    similar: drift, float, glide, hover, poise, ride, sail, swim, waft
    related: bob, dangle, suspend, buoy, balloon, raft
    opposite: settle, sink
    near: dive, lunge, plunge, dip, immerse, submerge, submerse

  5. to find a basis

    "that's very slim evidence upon which to hang a theory"

    similar: base, ground, predicate, rest
    related: establish, found, assume, postulate, premise, presume, presuppose, suppose

Related Entry: Hang (around or out) (verb)

Hang (around or out) is a different word from Tough. The synonyms below are for hang (around or out), not for tough.

  1. to come or be together as friends

    "she still hangs around with her college roommate"

    similar: associate, chum, company, consociate, consort, fraternize, hobnob, hook up, mess around, pal (around), run, sort, travel, be friends with, fall in with, keep company (with), rub elbows (with), take up with
    related: affiliate, ally, attach, band, bond, club, collaborate, collude, confederate, conjoin, connect, cooperate, couple, gang, get along, get on, group, interrelate, join, knot, league, link, mingle, mix, rally, relate, side, socialize, team, tie, wed, befriend, friend
    near: avoid, cold-shoulder, shun, snub, alienate, estrange, break up, disband, disperse, split (up), disjoin, dissociate, disunite, divorce, sever, split, sunder

  2. to spend time doing nothing

    "for my vacation I plan to rent a beach house and just hang out"

    similar: bum, chill, dally, dawdle, dillydally, drone, footle, goof (off), hack (around), hang about (British), idle, kick around, kick back, laze, lazy, loaf, loll, lounge, veg out, kill time, twiddle one's thumbs
    related: fiddle (around), fool, mess, monkey, muck, piddle, play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, doze, estivate, hibernate, lag, linger, loiter, poke, relax, rest, tarry, amble, mosey, saunter, stroll, swan, furlough, goldbrick, malinger, truant
    near: drudge, grind, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil, peg, plod, plow, plug, slave, sweat, toil, travail, work, apply, buckle (down), exert, put out

Related Entry: Hang (at) (verb)

Hang (at) is a different word from Tough. The synonyms below are for hang (at), not for tough.

  1. to go to or spend time in often

    "most summer afternoons, we'd hang at the municipal pool for a few hours"

    similar: affect, frequent, habituate, haunt, resort (to), visit
    related: patronize, attend, take in, infest, invade, overrun, swarm, call (on or upon), drop by, drop in, pop (in), run (in), stop (by or in), camp (out in), sojourn (at), stay (at), stop (over), tarry (in)
    opposite: avoid, shun
    near: dodge, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, shake

Related Entry: Hang (over) (verb)

Hang (over) is a different word from Tough. The synonyms below are for hang (over), not for tough.

  1. to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on

    "as long as the possibility of having to move again was hanging over them, the family couldn't really settle in"

    similar: hover (over), impend (over), menace, overhang, threaten
    related: endanger, hazard, imperil, jeopardize, peril

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Tough

The most common words with a similar meaning to Tough:

British: yob, yobbo
Chiefly British: dodgy
chewy, leathery, cast-iron, hard, hard-bitten, hardened, hardy, inured, rugged, stout, strong, sturdy, toughened, vigorous, bitter, brutal, burdensome, cruel, excruciating, grievous, grim, hardhanded, harsh, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, searing, severe, stiff, trying, arduous, Augean, backbreaking, challenging, demanding, difficult, effortful

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Tough

Words with the opposite meaning of Tough:

tender, delicate, nonhardy, soft, weak, easy, light, cheap, effortless, facile, mindless, simple, undemanding, clement, forbearing, gentle, indulgent, lax, lenient, tolerant

Related Words for Tough

fibrous, gristly, sinewy, stringy, brittle, crunchy, cardboardy, resilient, stalwart, durable, enduring, everlasting, immortal, imperishable, lasting, permanent, stable, staunch, staying, tenacious, unyielding, flourishing, prospering, thriving, able-bodied, brawny, muscular, fit, fortified, hale

Near Antonyms of Tough

mushy, emasculated, enervated, enfeebled, exhausted, run-down, sapped, wasted, weakened, worn, worn-out, crippled, debilitated, diseased, incapacitated, infirm, unsound, fragile, frail, puny, resistless, sensitive, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding, mortal, perishable, temporary, transient

Word Forms of Tough

Inflections: tougher, toughest, toughed, toughing, toughs

Derived words: toughly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Tough

Middle English, from Old English tōh; akin to Old High German zāhi tough

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Tough

Words & Phrases Containing Tough

tough love, tough-minded, tough shit, tough cookie, tough luck, get tough on

Frequently Asked Questions about Tough

What does "Tough" mean?

"Tough" means difficult to accomplish, resolve, endure, or deal with. As an an adjective, an adverb, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: difficult to accomplish, resolve, endure, or deal with. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Tough"?

Other words for "Tough" include chewy, leathery, cast-iron, hard, hard-bitten, hardened, hardy and inured. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Tough" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Tough"?

There are 270 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Tough". Common alternatives include chewy, leathery, cast-iron, hard, hard-bitten, hardened, hardy, inured, rugged and stout.

What is the opposite of "Tough"?

Antonyms of "Tough" include tender, delicate, nonhardy, soft, weak, easy, light and cheap. Near antonyms include mushy, emasculated, enervated and enfeebled.

How do you use "Tough" in a sentence?

Examples of "Tough" in a sentence: "her steak was so tough that she suggested the waiter use it as a hockey puck"; "this is a tough plant that easily withstands harsh winters"; "tough weather conditions on the top of the mountain all year long".

Is "Tough" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Tough" can be used as an adjective, an adverb, a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Tough" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Tough" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Tough"?

"Tough" is pronounced /ˈtəf/.