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

Recent Examples on the Web The city famous for its tolerance is resorting to tough love. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 21 May 2024 Outside of White House bids, Stewart was a go-to crisis manager for problem House and Senate candidates, ghost-writing strategy memos to bail out the scandal du jour or smack tough love into a spiraling campaign. Philip Elliott, TIME, 20 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for tough love 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tough love.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tough love was in 1968

Dictionary Entries Near tough love

Cite this Entry

“Tough love.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tough%20love. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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