Synonyms for tough
tʌftough

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tough

   Synonyms:
   resistent, stubborn, lentous, fibrous, difficult, refractory, hard, unmanageable, tenacious, firm, strong

   Antonyms:
   yielding, tender, soft, brittle, fragile, frangible, friable

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. street fighter, toughnoun

   someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing

   Synonyms:
   yobo, hoodlum, toughie, rowdy, hood, bully, hooligan, goon, yobbo, yob, strong-armer, roughneck, ruffian, street fighter, punk, thug

   Antonyms:
   nonviolent, good, tender, delicate, sentimental, protective, easy, flakey, flaky, tenderised, crispy, soft, untoughened, crisp, comfortable, chewable, tenderized, comfy, cuttable

2. hood, hoodlum, goon, punk, thug, tough, toughie, strong-armernoun

   an aggressive and violent young criminal

   Synonyms:
   goon, sticker, stumper, lubber, oaf, strong-armer, ruffian, stumblebum, tinder, punk, kindling, cowling, poser, exhaust hood, cowl, punk rocker, street fighter, bully, clod, yobo, thug, toughie, yob, hooligan, roughneck, spunk, yobbo, hoodlum, lummox, punk rock, lout, lump, touchwood, rowdy, lens hood, gawk, bonnet, hood, cap

   Antonyms:
   crisp, untoughened, delicate, flaky, tenderised, tender, chewable, tenderized, flakey, crispy, sentimental, good, easy, soft, comfortable, protective, nonviolent, cuttable, comfy

3. bully, tough, hooligan, ruffian, roughneck, rowdy, yob, yobo, yobboadjective

   a cruel and brutal fellow

   Synonyms:
   yobo, hoodlum, toughie, rowdy, hood, bully, hooligan, goon, yobbo, yob, strong-armer, roughneck, ruffian, street fighter, punk, thug

   Antonyms:
   tenderised, sentimental, delicate, flakey, easy, good, tender, flaky, protective, chewable, crispy, untoughened, soft, comfortable, tenderized, cuttable, comfy, nonviolent, crisp

4. toughadjective

   not given to gentleness or sentimentality

   "a tough character"

   Synonyms:
   rugged, baffling, toughened, problematic, bad, sturdy, hard, problematical, elusive, ruffianly, knotty

   Antonyms:
   crisp, good, tenderized, flakey, delicate, tender, chewable, comfy, crispy, easy, untoughened, sentimental, tenderised, nonviolent, protective, cuttable, flaky, soft, comfortable

5. rugged, toughadjective

   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"

   Synonyms:
   rugged, toughened, problematic, broken, sturdy, hard, furrowed, problematical, elusive, baffling, bad, ruffianly, knotty

   Antonyms:
   tender, chewable, flakey, tenderised, delicate, easy, cuttable, protective, crisp, nonviolent, soft, sentimental, comfortable, tenderized, untoughened, flaky, crispy, good, comfy

6. tough, toughenedadjective

   physically toughened

   "the tough bottoms of his feet"

   Synonyms:
   rugged, baffling, toughened, problematic, bad, sturdy, tempered, hard, hardened, problematical, treated, elusive, ruffianly, knotty

   Antonyms:
   tender, crisp, tenderised, delicate, untoughened, sentimental, crispy, comfortable, flaky, protective, good, tenderized, chewable, easy, comfy, nonviolent, soft, flakey, cuttable

7. sturdy, toughadjective

   substantially made or constructed

   "sturdy steel shelves"; "sturdy canvas"; "a tough all-weather fabric"; "some plastics are as tough as metal"

   Synonyms:
   knotty, problematic, ruffianly, bad, rugged, toughened, baffling, stout, elusive, hard, sturdy, inflexible, stalwart, uncompromising, hardy, problematical

   Antonyms:
   tenderised, crispy, cuttable, flakey, untoughened, comfortable, tender, delicate, good, crisp, tenderized, easy, chewable, soft, sentimental, comfy, nonviolent, protective, flaky

8. ruffianly, toughadjective

   violent and lawless

   "the more ruffianly element"; "tough street gangs"

   Synonyms:
   rugged, toughened, problematic, bad, sturdy, hard, problematical, elusive, baffling, ruffianly, knotty

   Antonyms:
   nonviolent, flaky, chewable, delicate, soft, tenderized, comfortable, tender, untoughened, comfy, tenderised, good, easy, cuttable, crisp, sentimental, flakey, protective, crispy

9. bad, toughadjective

   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"

   Synonyms:
   knotty, big, regretful, spoiled, ruffianly, uncollectible, risky, speculative, bad, rugged, toughened, problematic, baffling, elusive, hard, forged, defective, sturdy, sorry, spoilt, unsound, high-risk, problematical, unfit

   Antonyms:
   untoughened, chewable, tender, soft, comfy, protective, delicate, cuttable, crisp, easy, crispy, good, flaky, comfortable, tenderised, sentimental, nonviolent, flakey, tenderized

10. toughadjective

    resistant to cutting or chewing

    Synonyms:
    rugged, baffling, toughened, problematic, bad, sturdy, hard, problematical, elusive, ruffianly, knotty

    Antonyms:
    cuttable, tender, delicate, flakey, crispy, tenderized, chewable, easy, comfortable, comfy, untoughened, protective, good, sentimental, nonviolent, tenderised, crisp, soft, flaky

11. hard, toughadjective

    unfortunate or hard to bear

    "had hard luck"; "a tough break"

    Synonyms:
    severe, knotty, arduous, grueling, ruffianly, toilsome, hard, bad, rugged, sturdy, toughened, heavy, voiceless, laborious, difficult, elusive, knockout, gruelling, intemperate, concentrated, punishing, unvoiced, problematic, operose, backbreaking, problematical, surd, strong, baffling

    Antonyms:
    crispy, comfortable, protective, easy, good, tenderised, delicate, cuttable, comfy, tender, flaky, tenderized, flakey, sentimental, chewable, crisp, soft, nonviolent, untoughened

12. baffling, elusive, knotty, problematic, problematical, toughadjective

    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"

    Synonyms:
    subtle, gnarled, involved, knotty, problematical, debatable, ruffianly, bad, rugged, toughened, problematic, snarly, baffling, gnarly, hard, tangled, sturdy, knobbed, knotted, elusive, tortuous, convoluted, snarled

    Antonyms:
    tender, delicate, sentimental, protective, crispy, comfortable, easy, nonviolent, flakey, soft, flaky, comfy, cuttable, untoughened, chewable, good, tenderised, tenderized, crisp

Matched Categories

1. • Combatant
   • Criminal

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. toughadjective

   Synonyms:
   adhesive, tenacious, cohesive, not brittle, not easily broken

2. toughadjective

   Synonyms:
   coriaceous, leathery

3. toughadjective

   Synonyms:
   strong, firm, hardy

4. toughadjective

   Synonyms:
   refractory, stubborn, obdurate

5. toughadjective

   Synonyms:
   [Colloquial.] difficult, hard, hard to deal with

6. toughadjective

   Synonyms:
   [Colloquial.] severe (as a storm), violent

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. toughadjective

   Synonyms:
   tenacious, unyielding, cohesive, adhesive, obdurate, refractory, stubborn, difficult, arduous, hard

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "tough":

   hard, harsh, difficult, strict, stringent, severe, hardline, hard-line, rigorous, arduous, strong, tight, cruel, rough, fierce, firm, dura, heavy, rigid, durum, challenging, stiff, strongly-worded, grim

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How to use tough in a sentence?

1. Karen Kornbluh:

   It's a tough balancing act for platforms, they do not want to call the shots in foreign policy disputes.

2. Jacob Kirkegaard:

   International Monetary Fund is gearing up for new clients in the emerging economies. International Monetary Fund is not best done by being soft on Greece. International Monetary Fund won't go to the( International Monetary Fund) board to approve participation in a third Greek bailout without something International Monetary Fund think is tough and credible.

3. Barbara Robles-Ramamurthy:

   In our culture, we don't talk about our feelings. We want to hide our family problems, leave them at home ; nobody needs to know that we are going through a tough situation.

4. Stephen Curry:

   At home in the fourth quarter, I felt like we could go for that dagger punch and didn't really put any pressure on the defense, that's something that is tough to kind of swallow with the opportunity we had in front of us.

5. Jocelyne Harding Beach:

   We both travelled a lot, he went on assignment often for the CIA, and that first Christmas, I remember he was gone for three months on an assignment to Laos, and that was tough.