tough

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.
3. Physically hardy; rugged: tough mountaineers; a tough cop.
4. Severe; harsh: a tough winter.
5. 1. Aggressive; pugnacious.
   2. Inclined to violent or disruptive behavior; rowdy or rough: a tough street group.
6. Demanding or troubling; difficult: skipping the toughest questions.
7. Strong-minded; resolute: a tough negotiator.
8. Slang. Unfortunate; too bad: a tough break.
9. Slang. Fine; great.

n.

A violent or rowdy person; a hoodlum or thug.

idiom:

tough it out Slang.

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

[Middle English, from Old English tōh.]

toughly tough'ly adv.
toughness tough'ness n.

also tough out

adjective

1. Physically toughened so as to have great endurance: hard, hard-bitten, hard-handed, hardy, rugged. Idioms: hard as nails. See continue/stop/pause, strong/weak.
2. Capable of exerting considerable effort or of withstanding considerable stress or hardship: hardy, stalwart, stout, strong, sturdy. See strong/weak.
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. See heavy/light.
4. Not easy to do, achieve, or master: arduous, difficult, hard, laborious, serious, tall, uphill. See easy/hard.
5. Marked by vigorous physical exertion: knockabout, rough, rough-and-tumble, rugged, strenuous. See action/inaction.
6. Rigorous and unsparing in treating others: demanding, exacting, hard, harsh, rigid, severe, stern, strict, unyielding. See easy/hard.
7. Indicating or possessing determination, resolution, or persistence: constant, determined, firm¹, resolute, steadfast, steady, stiff, unbending, uncompromising, unflinching, unwavering, unyielding. See purpose/purposelessness.

noun

1. A rough, violent person who engages in destructive actions: hoodlum, mug, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian. Informal toughie. Slang hood, punk. See attack/defend, crimes.
2. A person who treats others violently and roughly, especially for hire: hoodlum, ruffian, thug. Informal hooligan. Slang goon, gorilla, hood. See attack/defend, crimes.

phrasal verb - tough out

To carry on through despite hardships: endure. Slang sweat out. See continue/stop/pause.

Idioms beginning with tough:
tough it out
tough nut
tough break
tough row to hoe
tough sledding

See also get tough; gut (tough) it out; hang tough; hard (tough) act to follow; hard (tough) nut to crack.

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adj

Definition: difficult, laborious
Antonyms: controllable, easy, facile

adj

Definition: obstinate, rough
Antonyms: gentle, kind, nice, tender

adj

Definition: sturdy, strong
Antonyms: delicate, fragile, unstable, vulnerable, weak, wobbly

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IN BRIEF: Not soft or gentle. Hard and persistent.

Tough times are there so you can have a good time later on-- and really appreciate it! — Anonymous

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - sej, drøj, vanskelig, skrap, hård
n. - bisse

idioms:

• have a tough time    drøj periode
• tough cookie    hård nød
• tough customer    skrap fyr, bisse
• tough going    hård tid
• tough guy    skrap fyr, bisse
• tough it out    klare sig igennem
• tough nut    hård nød
• tough nut to crack    hård nød at knække

Nederlands (Dutch)
veerkrachtig, gehard, ruig, onbuigzaam, taai, moeilijk

Français (French)
adj. - coriace, endurci, strict, sévère, rude, dur, inflexible, difficile, pénible, redoutable, robuste, résistant (une plante), malchanceux, vache (fam), (US) génial (fam)
adv. - durement, sévèrement
n. - personne dure

idioms:

• a tough nut to crack    problème difficile à résoudre, personne peu commode
• tough cookie    dur à cuire
• tough customer    client difficile
• tough going    (fig) chemin rude
• tough guy    type dur, un dur
• tough it out    tenir le coup
• tough nut    dur
• tough time    (traverser) une période difficile

Deutsch (German)
adj. - zäh, fest, schwierig, hart, gewalttätig
adv. - gewalttätig
n. - Rowdy

idioms:

• a tough nut to crack    harte Nuß, schwierig
• tough cookie    jmd. der hart im Nehmen ist
• tough customer    harter Brocken, Dickschädel
• tough going    schwierig
• tough guy    knallharter Bursche
• tough it out    nicht nachgeben, keine Schwäche zeigen
• tough nut    harte Nuß, schwierig
• tough time    leiden

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - σκληρός, τραχύς, δύσκολος, στερεός, δυσχερής, ανθεκτικός, γερός, ψημένος, σκληραγωγημένος, ζόρικος, επίπονος
adv. - σκληρά
n. - τραμπούκος, μπράβος
v. - αντέχω, ξεπερνώ

idioms:

• have a tough time    περνάω δύσκολες ώρες
• tough cookie    σκληρό καρύδι
• tough customer    σκληρό καρύδι
• tough going    δύσκολη υπόθεση
• tough guy    νταής, μπράβος
• tough it out    ξεπερνώ με σθένος
• tough nut    σκληρό καρύδι, δύσκολο έργο
• tough nut to crack    σκληρό καρύδι, δύσκολο έργο

Italiano (Italian)
duro, agguerrito, difficile, persistente

idioms:

• tough cookie    tipo difficile
• tough customer    cliente difficile
• tough guy    duro
• tough it out    tener duro

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - brigão (m), desordeiro (m), valentão (m), robusto (m), insubordinado (m)
adv. - valentemente, robustamente
n. - difícil de cortar, forte
v. - brigar

idioms:

• have a tough time    mau bocado
• tough cookie    difícil
• tough customer    cliente difícil
• tough guy    durão
• tough it out    agüenta!

Русский (Russian)
жесткий, крепкий, прочный, грубый, крутой, несговорчивый, суровый, трудный, хулиган, блатной

idioms:

• have a tough time    переживать трудный период, хлебнуть горя, доставить кому-л. неприятность, "заставить попотеть"
• tough cookie    (разг.) "твердый орешек!"
• tough customer    (разг.) "крутой клиент!"
• tough guy    силач, здоровяк, крутой парень
• tough it out    выйти победителем из тяжелого положения

Español (Spanish)
adj. - duro, fuerte, resistente, curtido, endurecido, robusto, difícil, penoso, incansable, severo
n. - hombre duro, malvado, pendenciero, matón
adv. - de modo duro, fuerte, etc.

idioms:

• a tough nut to crack    tarea difícil, un hueso duro de roer, persona difícil
• tough cookie    hueso duro de pelar
• tough customer    persona difícil, tipo peligroso
• tough going    camino accidentado, camino difícil
• tough guy    rufián
• tough it out    no cejar, no ceder, mantenerse firme
• tough nut    persona difícil
• tough time    pasarlo mal, momentos difíciles

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - seg, stark, oöm, svår, besvärlig, hård, jobbig, dryg, styv, kämpig, hårdhudad, kallhamrad, tuff, härdad, envis, hårdsmält, hårdkokt
adv. - tufft, segt, besvärligt, hårt
n. - tuffing, typ, buse, bov
v. - härda ut, klara sig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
强硬的, 坚强的, 艰苦的, 粗暴的人, 暴徒, 恶棍

idioms:

• have a tough time    苦熬
• tough cookie    非常坚强的人, 不易动感情的人
• tough customer    固执而难对付的人
• tough going    艰苦的工作, 苦熬
• tough guy    硬汉子
• tough it out    坚持到底, 亳不畏缩地承受
• tough nut    棘手的问题, 难对付的人
• tough nut to crack    难题, 难事, 难弄的人

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 強硬的, 堅強的, 艱苦的
n. - 粗暴的人, 暴徒, 惡棍

idioms:

• have a tough time    苦熬
• tough cookie    非常堅強的人, 不易動感情的人
• tough customer    固執而難對付的人
• tough going    艱苦的工作, 苦熬
• tough guy    硬漢子
• tough it out    堅持到底, 亳不畏縮地承受
• tough nut    棘手的問題, 難對付的人
• tough nut to crack    難題, 難事, 難弄的人

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 질긴, 강인한, 곤란한
n. - 악한, 부랑자, 깡패

idioms:

• have a tough time    힘들게 보내다
• tough it out    참고 견디다

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 強い, 堅い, 頑丈な, 骨の折れる, 困難な, 頑固な, 不屈の, ひどい, 激しい, 不愉快な, 信じがたい, 無法な
n. - よた者, 乱暴者

idioms:

• have a tough time    つらいめにあう
• tough cookie    無法者
• tough customer    手に負えない相手
• tough guy    腕っぷしの強い男
• tough it out    困難に耐える
• Tough luck!    それは困ったねえ
• tough shit    それは困ったねえ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) خشن, عسير ألمضغ, متين (ظرف) بخشونه, بعناد (الاسم) شخص جلف أو شكس (فعل) يشاكس‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮קשוח, קשה, חזק, קשה לחיתוך, צמיג, עקשני, גס, פראי, אלים‬
n. - ‮אדם קשוח, בעיקר פושע או בריון‬

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tough traveler	Speck Ipod Tough Skins
kid tough	tonka tough trucks adventures