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 remedy for upsets is to be sympathetic and fierce, making tough love the best approach.
—
Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 30 Jan. 2026
Doctors wouldn’t perform an outpatient procedure on him due to his size, and his then-girlfriend (now wife) gave him a tiny bit of tough love, asking him to lose enough weight to qualify for the procedure.
—Mike Wehner, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Many episodes featured Stanger giving tough love to unkempt potential matches and the picky millionaires.
—Emy Lacroix, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
Many chatbots do tend to hype users up rather than giving tough love or challenging their ideas.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tough love
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Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 30 Jan. 2026
Doctors wouldn’t perform an outpatient procedure on him due to his size, and his then-girlfriend (now wife) gave him a tiny bit of tough love, asking him to lose enough weight to qualify for the procedure.
—Mike Wehner, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Many episodes featured Stanger giving tough love to unkempt potential matches and the picky millionaires.
—Emy Lacroix, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
Many chatbots do tend to hype users up rather than giving tough love or challenging their ideas.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 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 9 Feb. 2026.
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