- strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.
- not brittle or tender.
- difficult to masticate, as food: a tough steak.
- of viscous consistency, as liquid or semiliquid matter: tough molasses.
- capable of great endurance; sturdy; hardy: tough troops.
- not easily influenced, as a person; unyielding; stubborn: a tough man to work for.
- hardened; incorrigible: a tough criminal.
- difficult to perform, accomplish, or deal with; hard, trying, or troublesome: a tough problem.
- hard to bear or endure (often used ironically): tough luck.
- vigorous; severe; violent: a tough struggle.
- vicious; rough; rowdyish: a tough character;a tough neighborhood.
- practical, realistic, and lacking in sentimentality; tough-minded.
- remarkably excellent; first-rate; great.
- in a tough manner.
- a ruffian; rowdy.
- hang (def. 62).
- to endure or resist hardship or adversity.
- strong or resilient; durable
- not tender
- having a great capacity for endurance; hardy and fit
- rough or pugnacious
- resolute or intractable
- difficult or troublesome to do or deal with
- unfortunate or unlucky
- a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person
- violently, aggressively, or intractably
- to be or appear to be strong or determined
- to stand firm, hold out against (a difficulty or difficult situation) (esp in tough it out)
