tough love
noun
: love or affectionate concern expressed in a stern or unsentimental manner (as through discipline) especially to promote responsible behavior
Examples of tough love in a Sentence
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Fortunately, her firm’s design director, Alison Wilcox, with whom Adler’s worked for 23 years (initially at Nate Berkus Associates), wasn’t afraid to offer tough love.
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David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 25 Feb. 2026
Micheaux doesn’t have any trouble dishing out the tough love to her players.
—Jon Poorman, Houston Chronicle, 24 Feb. 2026
That man has a foreign power’s murderous security apparatus at his neck, and Henry can’t cope with a little tough love.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
To Washington, the dustups are the sort of tough love the continent needs.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
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David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 25 Feb. 2026
Micheaux doesn’t have any trouble dishing out the tough love to her players.
—Jon Poorman, Houston Chronicle, 24 Feb. 2026
That man has a foreign power’s murderous security apparatus at his neck, and Henry can’t cope with a little tough love.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
To Washington, the dustups are the sort of tough love the continent needs.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tough love
Cite this Entry
“Tough love.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tough%20love. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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