tough

(redirected from toughest)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

tough

(tŭf)

adj. tough·er, tough·est

1. Able to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking; strong and resilient: a tough all-weather fabric.

2. Hard to cut or chew: tough meat.

a. Physically hardy; rugged: tough mountaineers; a tough cop.

b. Strong-minded; resolute: a tough negotiator.

a. Aggressive; pugnacious.

b. Inclined to violent or disruptive behavior; rowdy or rough: a tough street group.

a. Difficult to endure; severe; harsh: a tough winter.

b. Trying or unpleasant: had a tough day.

c. Difficult to deal with; demanding or troubling: It's tough to go to school and work a full-time job. The exam had many tough questions.

d. Informal Unfortunate; too bad: It was a tough break to get sick on the day of the concert.

6. Slang Fine; great.

A violent or rowdy person; a hoodlum or thug.

Idioms:

that's tough

Used to indicate recalcitrance or noncompliance with a complaint or demand.

tough it out Slang

To get through despite hardship; endure: "It helps if one was raised to tough it out" (Gail Sheehy).

[Middle English, from Old English tōh.]

tough′ly adv.

tough′ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tough

(tʌf)

adj

1. strong or resilient; durable: a tough material.

2. not tender: he could not eat the tough steak.

3. having a great capacity for endurance; hardy and fit: a tough mountaineer.

4. rough or pugnacious: a tough gangster.

5. resolute or intractable: a tough employer.

6. difficult or troublesome to do or deal with: a tough problem.

7. informal unfortunate or unlucky: it's tough on him.

a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person

adv

8. informal violently, aggressively, or intractably: to treat someone tough.

9. hang tough informal to be or appear to be strong or determined

(tr) slang to stand firm, hold out against (a difficulty or difficult situation) (esp in tough it out)

[Old English tōh; related to Old High German zāhi tough, Old Norse tā trodden ground in front of a house]

ˈtoughish adj

ˈtoughly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tough

(tʌf)

adj. tough•er, tough•est,
adv., n., v. adj.

1. strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.

2. not brittle or tender.

3. difficult to chew: a tough steak.

4. capable of great endurance; sturdy; hardy: tough troops.

5. not easily influenced, as a person; unyielding; stubborn.

6. hardened; incorrigible: a tough criminal.

7. difficult to perform, accomplish, or deal with.

8. hard to bear or endure (often used ironically): tough luck.

9. vigorous; severe; violent: a tough struggle.

10. vicious; rough; rowdy: a tough neighborhood.

11. Slang. remarkably excellent; first-rate; great.

adv.

12. in a tough manner.

13. a ruffian; rowdy.

14. tough it out, Informal. to endure or resist hardship or adversity.

Idiom.

[before 900; Middle English; Old English tōh, c. Middle Low German tā, Old High German zah]

tough′ly, adv.

tough′ness, n.

tough

Past participle: toughed
Gerund: toughing

Imperative
tough
tough

Present
I tough
you tough
he/she/it toughs
we tough
you tough
they tough

Preterite
I toughed
you toughed
he/she/it toughed
we toughed
you toughed
they toughed

Present Continuous
I am toughing
you are toughing
he/she/it is toughing
we are toughing
you are toughing
they are toughing

Present Perfect
I have toughed
you have toughed
he/she/it has toughed
we have toughed
you have toughed
they have toughed

Past Continuous
I was toughing
you were toughing
he/she/it was toughing
we were toughing
you were toughing
they were toughing

Past Perfect
I had toughed
you had toughed
he/she/it had toughed
we had toughed
you had toughed
they had toughed

Future
I will tough
you will tough
he/she/it will tough
we will tough
you will tough
they will tough

Future Perfect
I will have toughed
you will have toughed
he/she/it will have toughed
we will have toughed
you will have toughed
they will have toughed

Future Continuous
I will be toughing
you will be toughing
he/she/it will be toughing
we will be toughing
you will be toughing
they will be toughing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been toughing
you have been toughing
he/she/it has been toughing
we have been toughing
you have been toughing
they have been toughing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been toughing
you will have been toughing
he/she/it will have been toughing
we will have been toughing
you will have been toughing
they will have been toughing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been toughing
you had been toughing
he/she/it had been toughing
we had been toughing
you had been toughing
they had been toughing

Conditional
I would tough
you would tough
he/she/it would tough
we would tough
you would tough
they would tough

Past Conditional
I would have toughed
you would have toughed
he/she/it would have toughed
we would have toughed
you would have toughed
they would have toughed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	tough - someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing street fighter battler, belligerent, combatant, fighter, scrapper - someone who fights (or is fighting)
	2.	tough - an aggressive and violent young criminal hood, hoodlum, punk, strong-armer, thug, toughie, goon bully - a hired thug criminal, crook, felon, malefactor, outlaw - someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
	3.	tough - a cruel and brutal fellow bully, hooligan, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, yob, yobbo, yobo aggressor, assailant, assaulter, attacker - someone who attacks bullyboy - a swaggering tough; usually one acting as an agent of a political faction muscleman, muscle - a bully employed as a thug or bodyguard; "the drug lord had his muscleman to protect him" skinhead - a young person who belongs to a British or American group that shave their heads and gather at rock concerts or engage in white supremacist demonstrations plug-ugly, tough guy - someone who bullies weaker people
Adj.	1.	tough - not given to gentleness or sentimentality; "a tough character" hard - dispassionate; "took a hard look"; "a hard bargainer"; insensitive - deficient in human sensibility; not mentally or morally sensitive; "insensitive to the needs of the patients" tender - given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality; "a tender heart"; "a tender smile"; "tender loving care"; "tender memories"; "a tender mother"
	2.	tough - very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution; "a rugged competitive examination"; "the rugged conditions of frontier life"; "the competition was tough"; "it's a tough life"; "it was a tough job" rugged difficult, hard - not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; "a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?"
	3.	tough - physically toughened; "the tough bottoms of his feet" toughened rugged - sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring; "with a house full of boys you have to have rugged furniture" experienced, experient - having experience; having knowledge or skill from observation or participation strong - having strength or power greater than average or expected; "a strong radio signal"; "strong medicine"; "a strong man" untoughened, tender - physically untoughened; "tender feet"
	4.	tough - substantially made or constructed; "sturdy steel shelves"; "sturdy canvas"; "a tough all-weather fabric"; "some plastics are as tough as metal" sturdy rugged - sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring; "with a house full of boys you have to have rugged furniture"
	5.	tough - violent and lawless; "the more ruffianly element"; "tough street gangs" ruffianly violent - acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity; "a violent attack"; "a violent person"; "violent feelings"; "a violent rage"; "felt a violent dislike"
	6.	tough - feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad'); "my throat feels bad"; "she felt bad all over"; "he was feeling tough after a restless night" bad colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech uncomfortable - providing or experiencing physical discomfort; "an uncomfortable chair"; "an uncomfortable day in the hot sun"
	7.	tough - resistant to cutting or chewing inedible, uneatable - not suitable for food tender - easy to cut or chew; "tender beef"
	8.	tough - unfortunate or hard to bear; "had hard luck"; "a tough break" hard bad - having undesirable or negative qualities; "a bad report card"; "his sloppy appearance made a bad impression"; "a bad little boy"; "clothes in bad shape"; "a bad cut"; "bad luck"; "the news was very bad"; "the reviews were bad"; "the pay is bad"; "it was a bad light for reading"; "the movie was a bad choice"
	9.	tough - making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe; "a baffling problem"; "I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast"; "a problematic situation at home" baffling, knotty, problematic, problematical, elusive difficult, hard - not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; "a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?"

tough

adjective

1. strong, determined, aggressive, high-powered, feisty (informal, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), hard-nosed (informal), self-confident, unyielding, carnivorous (informal), hard as nails, self-assertive, badass (slang, chiefly U.S.) She is tough and ambitious.
strong soft, weak, delicate

2. hardy, strong, seasoned, fit, strapping, hardened, vigorous, sturdy, stout, stalwart, resilient, brawny, hard as nails He's small, but he's tough, and I expect him to do well in the match.

3. violent, rough, vicious, ruthless, pugnacious, hard-bitten, ruffianly, badass (slang, chiefly U.S.) He shot three people, earning his reputation as a tough guy.

4. rough, wild, criminal, violent, lawless, badass (slang, chiefly U.S.) She doesn't seem to be cut out for this tough neighbourhood.
rough soft, gentle, tender, humane, civilized

5. harsh, hard, awful, grim, unpleasant, bleak, austere, spartan, straitened She had a pretty tough childhood.

6. strict, severe, stern, hard, firm, exacting, adamant, resolute, draconian, intractable, inflexible, merciless, unforgiving, unyielding, unbending He announced tough measures to limit the money supply.
strict easy, soft, flexible, mild, accommodating, benign, humane, compassionate, indulgent, lenient, merciful

7. hard, difficult, exhausting, troublesome, uphill, strenuous, arduous, thorny, laborious, irksome Whoever wins the election is going to have a tough job.

8. difficult, hard, puzzling, baffling, troublesome, perplexing, thorny, knotty It was a tough decision but I think we made the right one.
difficult easy, easy-peasy (slang)

9. resilient, hard, resistant, durable, strong, firm, solid, stiff, rigid, rugged, sturdy, inflexible, cohesive, tenacious, leathery, hard-wearing, robust tough leather boots and trousers
resilient delicate, soft, weak, tender, flexible, fragile, flimsy

10. chewy, fibrous, leathery, stringy, sinewy, gristly The steak was tough and the peas were like bullets.

noun

1. ruffian, heavy (slang), rough (informal), bully, thug, hooligan, brute, rowdy, bravo, bully boy, bruiser (informal), roughneck (slang), boot boy, tsotsi (S. African) Three burly toughs elbowed their way to the front.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

tough

adjective

1. Physically toughened so as to have great endurance:

hard, hard-bitten, hard-handed, hardy, rugged.

Idiom: hard as nails.

2. Capable of exerting considerable effort or of withstanding considerable stress or hardship:

hardy, stalwart, stout, strong, sturdy.

3. Requiring great or extreme bodily, mental, or spiritual strength:

arduous, backbreaking, burdensome, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, exigent, formidable, hard, heavy, laborious, onerous, oppressive, rigorous, rough, severe, taxing, trying, weighty.

4. Not easy to do, achieve, or master:

arduous, difficult, hard, laborious, serious, tall, uphill.

5. Marked by vigorous physical exertion:

knockabout, rough, rough-and-tumble, rugged, strenuous.

6. Rigorous and unsparing in treating others:

demanding, exacting, hard, harsh, rigid, severe, stern, strict, unyielding.

7. Indicating or possessing determination, resolution, or persistence:

constant, determined, firm, resolute, steadfast, steady, stiff, unbending, uncompromising, unflinching, unwavering, unyielding.

noun

1. A rough, violent person who engages in destructive actions:

hoodlum, mug, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian.

Informal: toughie.

Slang: hood, punk.

2. A person who treats others violently and roughly, especially for hire:

hoodlum, ruffian, thug.

Informal: hooligan.

Slang: goon, gorilla, hood.

phrasal verb
tough out

Slang. To carry on through despite hardships:

endure.

Slang: sweat out.

Translations

شَخْص عَنيف أو جِلْفصَلْب، قادِر على تَحَمُّل المَصاعِبعَسير المَضْغعَنيف قَاسٍ

pevnýtěžkýtuhýdivokýhrubý

barskbarsk fyrbøllehårdsej

robust zäh Rowdy schwierig übel

σκληρός

fuerte resistente violento chulo conflictivo

ankarahankalakovakovissitkeä

difficile dur robuste sévère solide

čvrst

rágósstrammszívós

erfiîur, harîurgrófur, ágengur, ofbeldishneigîurhrotti, ribbaldiseigursterkur

duro forte insensibile ostinato trattare duramente

丈夫な

질긴

mušeikaužgrūdinti

cietsgrūtshuligāniskshuligānsizturīgs

lotor

hudmočenostertrdžilav

tuff

ที่ทนทาน

sağlam sert zor azılıbelâlı

gai góc

不易磨损的咬不动的坚强的坚韧的强硬的

tough

[tʌf]

A. ADJ (tougher (compar) (toughest (superl)))

1. (= robust) → fuerte
granny may be old, but she's tough → puede que la abuela sea vieja, pero es fuerte
to be (as) tough as old boots [person] → ser fuerte como un roble

2. (= hard, uncompromising) [person] → duro; [neighbourhood, school] → peligroso
tough customer → tío/a m/f duro/a
tough guy → tipo m duro
tough nut → tío/a m/f duro/a
to do some tough talking → hablar sin rodeos

3. (= resistant) [substance, material] → fuerte, resistente; [skin] → duro

4. (= not tender) [meat] → duro
the steak was as tough as old boots → el filete estaba duro como la suela de un zapato

5. (= harsh) [policies] → duro, de mano dura; [measures] → duro; [teacher, parent] → severo
to take a tough line on sth → adoptar una línea dura con respecto a algo
to take a tough line with sb → ponerse duro con algn
to be tough on sb → ser duro con algn

6. (= difficult) [way of life, situation, day] → duro, difícil; [choice, question] → difícil; [competition] → fuerte
it's a tough job being Prime Minister → es duro ser primer ministro
it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it → es un trabajo duro, pero alguien tiene que hacerlo
it's tough when you have kids → es difícil cuando tienes niños
it will be tough to finish it in time → va a ser difícil acabarlo a tiempo
his team will be tough to beat → su equipo será difícil de vencer, va a ser difícil vencer a su equipo
it was tough trying to raise the cash → fue difícil conseguir el dinero
he has found it tough going this year → este año se le ha hecho muy cuesta arriba, este año le ha resultado muy difícil
when the going gets tough → cuando las cosas se ponen difíciles
to have a tough time (of it) → pasarlo mal or fatal, pasar las de Caín
when the going gets tough, the tough get going → la gente con arrestos se crece ante las adversidades

7. (set expressions)
tough!, tough luck! → ¡mala suerte!
that's your tough luck! → ¡te fastidias!
tough shit → te jodes

B. N (= thug) → matón m, macarra m

C. VT to tough it out → aguantar el tipo

D. ADV

1. to act/talk tough → hacerse el duro

2. (US) to hang tough → mantenerse firme

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tough

[ˈtʌf]

adj

(= strong, brave) [person, animal] → solide
She's tough. She can take it → Elle est solide. Elle tiendra le coup.

(= rough) [person] → dur(e); [school, area] → dur(e)
a tough guy → un dur
He thinks he's a tough guy → Il se prend pour un dur.

(= strong) [material] → solide
tough leather gloves → de solides gants en cuir

(= hard to chew) [meat] → dur(e), coriace
The meat's tough → La viande est coriace.

(= difficult) [task, problem, situation] → dur(e) often before n; [journey] → pénible
It was tough, but I managed OK → C'était dur, mais je m'en suis tiré.
It's a tough job → C'est un dur travail.
to have a tough time → traverser une période difficile

(= strict) → dur(e)

tough luck! (sympathetically) → pas de chance!; (unsympathetically) → tant pis pour toi!, tant pis pour vous!
tough! → tant pis pour toi!, tant pis pour vous!

(= gangster) → dur mtough cookie n → dur(e) m/f à cuire

tough

adj (+er)

→ zäh; (= resistant) → widerstandsfähig; cloth → strapazierfähig; membrane → widerstandsfähig; skin → rau; (towards others) → hart, knallhart (inf); bargaining, negotiator, opponent, fight, struggle, lesson → hart; district, city → hart, rau; as tough as leather → zäh wie Leder (inf); (as) tough as old boots (Brit hum inf) or shoe leather (US hum inf) → zäh wie Leder (inf); he’ll get over it, he’s pretty tough → er wird schon darüber hinwegkommen, er ist hart im Nehmen (inf); to get tough (with somebody) (physically) → grob werden (mit jdm or gegen jdn), handgreiflich werden (gegen jdn); (fig) → hart durchgreifen (gegen jdn); tough guy (inf) → (knall)harter Kerl or Bursche (inf); getting him to agree took some tough talking → er musste ganz schon bearbeitet werden, damit er zustimmte

(= difficult) task, problem → hart; journey → strapaziös, anstrengend; choice → schwierig; competition → hart, zäh; it was tough going (lit, fig) → es war eine Strapaze or ein Schlauch m (inf); to have a tough time of it → nichts zu lachen haben; I had a tough time controlling my anger → es fiel mir schwer, meinen Zorn unter Kontrolle zu halten; it’s a tough job being Prime Minister → Premierminister zu sein, ist eine schwierige Aufgabe or ein harter Job (inf); it’s tough when you have kids → es ist schwierig, wenn man Kinder hat; it must have been tough being or to be a child in the war → für ein Kind muss die Zeit während des Krieges sehr schwer gewesen sein; she’s a tough customer → sie ist zäh wie Leder (inf)

(= strict) policy, controls → hart; to take a tough line with somebody/on something → bei jdm/einer Sache eine starre Haltung einnehmen

(inf: = unfortunate) → hart; that’s pretty tough! → das ist ganz schön hart!; it was tough on the others → das war hart für die andern; tough (luck)! → Pech!; tough luck on Taylor → Pech für Taylor; tough shit (sl) → Scheißpech nt (inf)

n (inf) → Schlägertyp m (pej inf), → (knall)harter Bursche (inf)

adv (+er) (inf) to treat somebody tough → jdn hart rannehmen; to talk tough → große Sprüche machen; to act tough → hart durchgreifen; to hang tough → unnachgiebig festhalten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

tough

[tʌf]

1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl)))

a. (substance, fabric) → resistente, duro/a; (conditions, regulations) → duro/a; (meat) → duro/a, tiglioso/a; (journey) → faticoso/a, duro/a; (task, problem, situation) → difficile (fig) (resistance) → tenace; (fight) → accanito/a
as tough as old boots → duro/a come una suola di scarpa
tough opposition → opposizione tenace

b. (person, hardy, resilient) → robusto/a, resistente; (mentally strong) → resistente, tenace; (hard, in character) → inflessibile; (rough) → violento/a, brutale
they got tough with the workers → hanno adottato una politica inflessibile con i lavoratori
he's a tough man to deal with → è un tipo difficile
a tough guy → un duro
he's a tough customer (fam) → è un osso duro

c. (fam) (unfortunate) but it was tough on the others → ma è stata una sfortuna per gli altri
if you can't get here on time, that's your tough luck! (unsympathetic) → se non ce la fai ad arrivare in orario, peggio per te!

2. n (fam) (gangster, lout) → delinquente m/f

tough

(taf) adjective

1. strong; not easily broken, worn out etc. Plastic is a tough material.

2. (of food etc) difficult to chew.

3. (of people) strong; able to bear hardship, illness etc. She must be tough to have survived such a serious illness.

4. rough and violent. It's a tough neighbourhood.

5. difficult to deal with or overcome. a tough problem; The competition was really tough.

noun

a rough, violent person; a bully.

ˈtoughness noun

ˈtoughen verb

to make or become tough.

tough luck

bad luck. That was tough luck.

get tough with (someone)

to deal forcefully with or refuse to yield to (a person). When he started to argue, I got tough with him.

tough

→ قَاسٍ pevný barsk zäh σκληρός fuerte vahva dur čvrst duro 丈夫な 질긴 taai tøff nieustępliwy resistente жесткий tuff ที่ทนทาน sağlam gai góc 强硬的

tough

adj duro

References in classic literature ?

No, they hold there a large, round wad of tow and cork, enveloped in the thickest and toughest of ox-hide.

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Between Silver and myself we got together in a few days a company of the toughest old salts imaginable--not pretty to look at, but fellows, by their faces, of the most indomitable spirit.

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This is about the toughest nut he's ever had to crack, but he's cracked it all right."

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The Barbary Coast of San Francisco, once the old-time sailor-town in the days when San Francisco was reckoned the toughest port of the Seven Seas, had evolved with the city until it depended for at least half of its earnings on the slumming parties that visited it and spent liberally.

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I, who had been hailed Prince of the Oyster Pirates, who could go anywhere in the world as a man amongst men; who could sail boats, lay aloft in black and storm, or go into the toughest hang-outs in sailor town and play my part in any rough- house that started or call all hands to the bar--I didn't know the first thing I might say or do with this slender little chit of a girl-woman whose scant skirt just reached her shoe-tops and who was as abysmally ignorant of life as I was, or thought I was, profoundly wise.

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Did you ever see a thoroughbred mare, all shinin' in the sun, with hair like satin an' skin so thin an' tender that the least touch of the whip leaves a mark--all fine nerves, an' delicate an' sensitive, that'll kill the toughest bronco when it comes to endurance an' that can strain a tendon in a flash or catch death-of-cold without a blanket for a night?

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They ALWAYS make their pens out of the hardest, toughest, troublesomest piece of old brass candlestick or some- thing like that they can get their hands on; and it takes them weeks and weeks and months and months to file it out, too, because they've got to do it by rub- bing it on the wall.

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quick; and help my master, who is in the thick of the toughest and stiffest battle I ever laid eyes on.

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And Captain Van Horn, who ruled the Arangi in bare legs, a loin cloth, and a sixpenny under-shirt, and ran cannibal blacks back and forth in the blackbird trade with an automatic strapped to his body waking and sleeping and with his head forfeit in scores of salt- water villages and bush strongholds, and who was esteemed the toughest skipper in the Solomons where only men who are tough may continue to live and esteem toughness, blinked with sudden moisture in his eyes, and could not see for the moment the puppy that quivered all its body of love in his arms and kissed away the salty softness of his eyes.

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I raised my head, and gathered the bills and letters together, and stood up a man again, wondering at the variableness of my own temper, at the curious elasticity of that toughest of all the vital substances within us, which we call Hope.

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He could eat anything, no matter how loathsome or indigestible; and, once eaten, the juices of his stomach extracted the last least particle of nutriment; and his blood carried it to the farthest reaches of his body, building it into the toughest and stoutest of tissues.

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Old habit of mind is one of the toughest things to get away from in the world.

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