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
Many episodes featured Stanger giving tough love to unkempt potential matches and the picky millionaires.
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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
It’s been a long journey with Xhekaj, who has described his relationship with his coach as a father/son dynamic, with some instances of tough love that were widely misinterpreted.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
These words upset the European elites, but were tough love for our old allies.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 22 Dec. 2025
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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
It’s been a long journey with Xhekaj, who has described his relationship with his coach as a father/son dynamic, with some instances of tough love that were widely misinterpreted.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
These words upset the European elites, but were tough love for our old allies.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 22 Dec. 2025
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 1 Feb. 2026.
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