tough

Definitions

1. 1.Not easily broken; able to endure hardship; firm; strong; as, tough sinews. Cowper. A body made of brass, the crone demands, . . . Tough to the last, and with no toil to tire. Dryden. The basis of his character was caution combined with tough tenacity of purpose. J. A. Symonds.
2. 2.Not easily separated; viscous; clammy; tenacious; as, tough phlegm.
3. 3.Stiff; rigid; not flexible; stubborn; as, a tough bow. So tough a frame she could not bend. Dryden.
4. 4.Severe; violent; as, a tough storm. [Colloq.] " A tough debate. " Fuller. To make it tough, to make it a matter of difficulty; to make it a hard matter. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "tough" mean?
• What is another word for "tough"?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is tough.

• What is not easily separated; viscous; clammy; tenacious; as, tough phlegm called?
• What is stiff; rigid; not flexible; stubborn; as, a tough bow. So tough a frame she could not bend. Dryden called?
• What is severe; violent; as, a tough storm. [Colloq.] " A tough debate. " Fuller. To make it tough, to make it a matter of difficulty; to make it a hard matter. [Obs.] Chaucer called?