1
2
as in sturdy
able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure
this is a tough plant that easily withstands harsh winters
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in harsh
difficult to endure
tough weather conditions on the top of the mountain all year long
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
even if you study for it, it's still a tough exam
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5
as in sensitive
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
handled a tough situation with the aplomb and tact of a true diplomat
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6
as in strict
given to exacting standards of discipline and self-restraint
a tough supervisor who docked the pay of anyone who punched in late, no matter what the reason
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as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
didn't want her son hanging out with the neighborhood toughs
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of tough
ProPublica, 10 Jan. 2025
Households are currently seeing significant reductions in their monthly electricity usage, resulting in cost savings—a big relief, especially in tough economic times.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2023
Shots of Phoenix running from street toughs in his clown outfit are intercut with his social worker breaking up with him.
—Dan Brooks, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2019
See all Example Sentences for tough 
Adjective
Reporting Highlights Child Care Gap: About 70% of rural Illinoisans live in a child care desert, forcing tough choices on parents: Some drive 100 miles a day or more to find care, others leave the workforce.
—ProPublica, 10 Jan. 2025
Households are currently seeing significant reductions in their monthly electricity usage, resulting in cost savings—a big relief, especially in tough economic times.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
By the numbers Gary Klein’s prediction The NFC West rival Rams and the Seahawks always play each other tough.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2023
Shots of Phoenix running from street toughs in his clown outfit are intercut with his social worker breaking up with him.
—Dan Brooks, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2019
See all Example Sentences for tough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tough
Adjective
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Companies that once minted money selling baby formula to feed a baby boom are now making shakes with calcium and selenium for older adults with brittle bones.Alexandra Stevenson, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
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Unlike what many American children have been taught in schools, astronauts don’t actually eat that stuff, partly because the brittle crumbs could fly everywhere in space.Regina Kim, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Rows of sturdy two- and three-story flats stand at attention on countless streets.Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2025
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During renovation work, the men’s first team have been moved into the women’s building, with the women housed in a temporary — but sturdy — portable cabin, and the Graduate Lounge has been turned into the academy and women’s teams’ canteen.Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Advocates and relatives describe harsh conditions in immigration detention.Dake Kang and Huizhong Wu, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
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Soviet scientists at the time believed that strays, given that they were already accustomed to harsh conditions, would be better suited to the extreme environments of space.Scott Travers, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Simplifying Complexity Through Narratives Leaders often need to communicate complex strategies or concepts, which can be difficult for teams to fully grasp.Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
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The emotional weight of losing that independence is difficult to quantify, but its impact is profound.John Hope Bryant, TIME, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The members of the panel, known as CFIUS, had similar concerns about Grindr to the ones lawmakers have about TikTok — that the app could be used to give the Chinese government access to sensitive data about Americans, including their locations and dating preferences.Meaghan Tobin, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
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Authoritarian regimes should not have unfettered access to millions of Americans’ sensitive data.Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Certified billing software must meet strict criteria to ensure data integrity and support potential real-time reporting.Aleksandra Bal, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
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In fact, there's a strict set of rules the cast must follow.Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The proximate cause of the war crimes chronicled in Han’s novels is South Korea’s succession of authoritarian governments, their soldiers and police; on Jeju Island, these were joined by gangs of right-wing thugs.Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2025
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Like Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Assad will be remembered as a thug who left his country on the brink of state failure.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The earliest figures, naked and missing limbs, some suffering gouges or pocked with what look like the holes of beetle larvae, bring to mind eerie tales of automata or the leathery agonies of bog bodies.Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023
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Making her first appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, the up-and-comer chose a leathery dress made of dark maroon panels that left a cutout pattern along the side.Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 25 Jan. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near tough
Cite this Entry
“Tough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tough. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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