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

How to pronounce tough?

How to say tough in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use tough in a sentence?

1. Steve Yeager:

   World Series was tough. I wanted to play and felt like I could still play, i was very bitter. I wouldn't watch a ballgame( on TV). I wouldn't go to Dodger Stadium.

2. Maria Garcia:

   , it's been a tough fight to put up a home in the midst of hardship, but we never gave in nor let ourselves be swept away by sadness.

3. Donald Trump:

   I know what you're going through right now with families is very tough. But those are the bad laws The Democrats gave us.

4. Donovan Mitchell:

   I think we shot ourselves in the foot a few times with the turnovers. And that’s really what kind of played into their taking advantage, when you allow a team to get out in transition, get going early, it’s tough to come back after that.

5. Juergen Hardt:

   That the U.S. ambassador is now turning to German companies with direct threats is a new and unacceptable one-sided tightening of the tone in the transatlantic relationship, if the U.S. president thinks he has to publicly show he is getting tough on Russia in view of the many question marks regarding his relationship with Moscow, he should not thereby impair the relationship with his most important ally.