Lexic.us

Definition of Tough

1. Adjective. Not given to gentleness or sentimentality. "A tough character"

2. Noun. Someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing.

3. Adjective. Very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution. "It was a tough job"

4. Noun. An aggressive and violent young criminal.

5. Adjective. Physically toughened. "The tough bottoms of his feet"

6. Noun. A cruel and brutal fellow.

7. Adjective. Substantially made or constructed. "Some plastics are as tough as metal"

8. Adjective. Violent and lawless. "Tough street gangs"

9. Adjective. Feeling physical discomfort or pain ('tough' is occasionally used colloquially for 'bad'). "He was feeling tough after a restless night"

10. Adjective. Resistant to cutting or chewing.

11. Adjective. Unfortunate or hard to bear. "A tough break"

12. Adjective. Making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe. "A problematic situation at home"

Definition of Tough

1. a. Having the quality of flexibility without brittleness; yielding to force without breaking; capable of resisting great strain; as, the ligaments of animals are remarkably tough.

Definition of Tough

1. Adjective. strong and resilient; sturdy ¹

2. Adjective. (context: of food) difficult to cut or chew ¹

3. Adjective. rugged or physically hardy ¹

4. Adjective. Stubborn. ¹

5. Adjective. (context: of weather etc) harsh or severe ¹

6. Adjective. rowdy or rough. ¹

7. Adjective. (context: of questions etc) difficult or demanding ¹

8. Adjective. (context: material science) Undergoing plastic deformation before breaking. ¹

9. Interjection. (slang) (non-gloss definition Used to indicate lack of sympathy) ¹

10. Noun. A person who obtains things by force; a thug or bully. ¹

11. Verb. To endure. ¹

12. Verb. To toughen. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Tough

1. strong and resilient [adj TOUGHER, TOUGHEST] / to endure hardship [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Lexicographical Neighbors of Tough

touchpoints touchscreen touchscreens touchstone touchstones toucht touchtone touchtones touchup touchups

touchwood touchwoods touchy touchy-feeliness touchy-feely tough (current term) tough-head tough-minded tough-pitch tough-skinned

tough call tough case tough cookie tough cookies tough crowd tough guy tough love tough luck tough nut to crack tough nuts to crack

Literary usage of Tough

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge (1918)
"Its tough, hard, white wood makes excellent fuel and is highly valued for ... Its wood is softer than that of the preceding, but, being tough and easily ..."

2. The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture: A Discussion for the Amateur, and by Liberty Hyde Bailey (1917)
"with very thick and tough skin and a tough musky flesh, dull purple in color without bloom (in the Scuppernong variety silvery amber- green), ripe in summer ..."

3. The Iliad of Homer by Homer, John Graham Cordery (1871)
"Of tough bull-hide, but pierced not through ; the shaft Dropp'd, broken at the splice ; Dei'phobus Held from himself his buckler out, in fear, ..."

4. Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain (1883)
"tough YARNS. STACK ISLAND. I remembered Stack Island ; also Lake Providence, Louisiana—which is the first distinctly Southern-looking town you come to, ..."

5. Journal by Iron and Steel Institute (1899)
"The latter type would be easily broken up, whereas the former would be strong and tough. It is of course well known, all other things remaining constant, ..."

6. The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and (1911)
"... their own. in general form like the plug and ring gauges, using a hard quality of steel for small sizes or a tough quality of cast iron for the larger. ..."

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