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Antonyms for tough
| Grammar : Adj, noun |
| Spell : tuhf |
| Phonetic Transcription : tʌf |
Definition of tough
Origin :- Old English toh "difficult to break or chew," from Proto-Germanic *tankhuz (cf. Middle Low German tege, Middle Dutch taey, Dutch taai, Old High German zach, German zäh). See rough for spelling change.
- Figurative sense of "strenuous, difficult, hard to beat" is first recorded c.1200; that of "hard to do, trying, laborious" is from 1610s. Verb tough it "endure the experience" is first recorded 1830, American English. Tough guy first recorded 1932. Tough-minded first recorded 1907 in William James. Tough luck first recorded 1912; tough shit is from 1946.
- adj sturdy, strong
- adj obstinate, rough
- adj difficult, laborious
- noun person who is rowdy, mean
- He was tough, but the ranch horses of John Merchant came out from a night of rest.
- Extract from : « Way of the Lawless » by Max Brand
- If the mushrooms are found to be tough, the skin should be peeled off.
- Extract from : « Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2 » by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
- Even when they did pick out novels, they were just as tough as the history books.
- Extract from : « In the Midst of Alarms » by Robert Barr
- This game's too tough fer me—I'll ship me plugs to Gravesend.
- Extract from : « Thoroughbreds » by W. A. Fraser
- There he met two other tough ones like himself,—Duroc and Junot.
- Extract from : « The Boy Life of Napoleon » by Eugenie Foa
- The ankle was small and curved like an axe handle and looked as tough.
- Extract from : « The Underdog » by F. Hopkinson Smith
- That same world is a tough wrestler, and has a bear's gripe.
- Extract from : « Night and Morning, Complete » by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
- All other pieces are, for this purpose, comparatively hard and tough.
- Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie
- All other parts are for this purpose comparatively hard and tough.
- Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie
- If a goose is old it is useless to cook it, as when hard and tough it cannot be eaten.
- Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie
Synonyms for tough
- adamant
- arbitrary
- arduous
- backbreaking
- baffling
- brawny
- bruiser
- brute
- bully
- burdensome
- callous
- cohesive
- conditioned
- confirmed
- criminal
- cruel
- demanding
- dense
- desperate
- drastic
- durable
- effortful
- exacting
- exhausting
- exigent
- ferocious
- fibrous
- fierce
- firm
- fit
- fixed
- flinty
- gangster
- goon
- grievous
- hairy
- handful
- hard
- hard as nails
- hard-bitten
- hard-boiled
- hard-line
- hard-nosed
- hard-shelled
- hardened
- hardy
- harsh
- headstrong
- healthy
- heavy
- hood
- hoodlum
- hooligan
- immutable
- indigestible
- inflexible
- intractable
- intricate
- irksome
- knotty
- labored
- leathery
- lusty
- mean
- merciless
- mighty
- molded
- narrow
- no piece of cake
- obdurate
- onerous
- oppressive
- perplexing
- pugnacious
- punk
- puzzling
- refractory
- resilient
- resistant
- resisting
- resolute
- rigid
- robust
- rough
- roughneck
- rowdy
- ruffian
- ruffianly
- rugged
- ruthless
- savage
- seasoned
- severe
- sinewy
- solid
- stalwart
- steeled
- stern
- stiff
- stout
- strapping
- strenuous
- strict
- stubborn
- taut
- taxing
- tenacious
- terrible
- thorny
- thug
- tight
- toilsome
- tough as nails
- troublesome
- trying
- unalterable
- unbending
- unbreakable
- uncompromising
- uncontrollable
- unforgiving
- unmanageable
- unyielding
- uphill
- vicious
- vigorous
- villain
- violent
- weighty
- wicked
- withstanding
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019