Tough

Tough
Tough Tough, a. [Compar. {Tougher}; superl. {Toughest}.] [OE. tough, AS. t[=o]h, akin to D. taai, LG. taa, tage, tau, OHG. z[=a]hi, G. z[aum]he, and also to AS. getenge near to, close to, oppressive, OS. bitengi.] 1. Having the quality of flexibility without brittleness; yielding to force without breaking; capable of resisting great strain; as, the ligaments of animals are remarkably tough. ``Tough roots and stubs. '' --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. Not easily broken; able to endure hardship; firm; strong; -- of objects and people; as, tough sinews. --Cowper. [1913 Webster]

A body made of brass, the crone demands, . . . Tough to the last, and with no toil to tire. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

The basis of his character was caution combined with tough tenacity of purpose. --J. A. Symonds. [1913 Webster]

3. Not easily separated; viscous; clammy; tenacious; as, tough phlegm. [1913 Webster]

4. Stiff; rigid; not flexible; stubborn; as, a tough bow. [1913 Webster]

So tough a frame she could not bend. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

5. Severe; violent; as, a tough storm. [Colloq.] `` A tough debate. '' --Fuller. [1913 Webster]

6. Difficult to do, perform, or accomplish; as, a tough job. [PJC]

7. Prone to aggressive or violent behavior; rowdyish; -- of people, or groups; as, a tough neighborhood; a tough character. [PJC]

{To make it tough}, to make it a matter of difficulty; to make it a hard matter. [Obs.] --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • tough´ly — tough «tuhf», adjective, adverb, noun, verb. –adjective. 1. bending without breaking: »Leather is tough; cardboard is not. 2. hard to cut, tear, or chew: »The steak was so tough, I couldn t eat it. 3. stiff; sticky: »tough clay …   Useful english dictionary

  • Tough — 高校鉄拳伝タフ/タフ (Koko Tekken den Tough/Tough) Genre action, comédie, arts martiaux, sport Manga : Koko Tekken den Tough Type Seinen Auteur Tetsuya Saruwatari …   Wikipédia en Français

  • tough — [tuf] adj. [ME < OE toh, akin to Ger zäh, tough, viscous, prob. < IE base * denk , to bite > TONGS] 1. strong but pliant; that will bend, twist, etc. without tearing or breaking 2. that will not cut or chew easily [tough steak] 3.… …   English World dictionary

  • Tough — may refer to: * Tough (manga), a Japanese manga series by Tetsuya Saruwatari * Tough (song), by country music artist Craig Morgan * Tough (Kurtis Blow album), a 1982 album by Kurtis Blow * Tough (Wishbone Ash album), a 2008 album by Wishbone Ash… …   Wikipedia

  • tough — 〈[ tʌ̣f] Adj.; umg.〉 hart, streng, tüchtig, selbstsicher, bestimmt ● die Verhandlungen waren sehr tough; ihr Auftreten ist tough [engl., „hart, zäh“] * * * tough [taf ; engl. tough, verw. mit ↑ zäh], taff [jidd. toff < hebr. tôv = gut] <Adj …   Universal-Lexikon

  • tough — tough; tough·en; tough·ie; tough·ish; tough·ly; tough·ness; …   English syllables

  • tough — [adj1] sturdy, strong brawny, cohesive, conditioned, dense, durable, fibrous, firm, fit, flinty, hard, hard as nails*, hard bitten*, hardened, hardy, healthy, indigestible, inflexible, leathery, lusty, mighty, molded, resilient, resistant, rigid …   New thesaurus

  • tough´en|er — tough|en «TUHF uhn», transitive verb. to make tough or tougher: »He toughened his muscles by doing exercises. –v.i. to become tough or tougher: »His muscles finally toughened. –tough´en|er, noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • tough|en — «TUHF uhn», transitive verb. to make tough or tougher: »He toughened his muscles by doing exercises. –v.i. to become tough or tougher: »His muscles finally toughened. –tough´en|er, noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • Tough —    TOUGH, a parish, in the district of Alford, county of Aberdeen, 5 miles (S. E. by E.) from Alford; containing 762 inhabitants. This place is situated partly in the northern and western portions of the Corrennie range, or Red hill, and partly… …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

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