Thesaurus
tough
Synonyms and Antonyms of tough
1
not easily chewed
2
able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure
flinty, leathery, resilient, stalwart
durable, enduring, everlasting, immortal, imperishable, lasting, permanent, stable, staunch (also stanch), staying, tenacious, unyielding
flourishing, prospering, thriving
fit, fortified, hale, healthy, husky, lusty, red-blooded, robust, sound, strapping, virile
3
difficult to endure
4
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
arduous, Augean, backbreaking, challenging, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, formidable, grueling (or gruelling), hard, heavy, hellacious, herculean, killer, laborious, moiling, murderous, pick-and-shovel, rigorous, rough, rugged, severe, stiff, strenuous, sweaty, tall, testing, toilsome, uphill
abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, elusive, hairy, insoluble, intricate, involved, knotty, opaque, problematic (also problematical), recondite, serious, spiny, stubborn, thorny, ticklish, tricky
bruising, burdensome, exhausting, labored, onerous, oppressive, stressful, taxing, tight, trying
annoying, bothersome, distressing, irksome, troublesome, vexatious
cheap, easy, effortless, facile, light, mindless, simple, soft, undemanding
5
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
6
given to exacting standards of discipline and self-restraint
adamant, adamantine, callous, hardened, hard-hearted, hard-line, immovable, implacable, inflexible, merciless, ossified, pitiless, relentless, rock-ribbed, stiff, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unsparing, unyielding
ascetic (also ascetical), monastic, monkish
determined, firm, resolved, single-minded, steadfast, unflinching
Synonym Discussion of tough
-
- strong arms
-
- the defense has a strong case
-
- stout hiking boots
-
- a sturdy table
-
- people of sturdy independence
-
- stalwart environmentalists
-
- a tough political opponent
-
- tenacious farmers clinging to an age-old way of life
tough
Synonyms and Antonyms of tough
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
assassin, bandit, bravo, brigand, criminal, crook, desperado, felon, gunman, highwayman, lawbreaker, mafioso, malefactor, offender, outlaw, perp, perpetrator, pirate
pickpocket, racketeer, robber, swindler, thief, vandal
juvenile delinquent, tearaway [British]
Learn More about tough
-
See words that rhyme with tough Dictionary: Definition of tough Spanish Central: Translation of tough Nglish: Translation of tough for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tough for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up tough? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
