tough-minded

adjective

Definition of tough-mindednext
as in unsentimental

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tough-minded Jarred Vanderbilt is tough-minded, Lakers coach JJ Redick said. — Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 10 May 2026 Her tough-minded sister, Ena (Lisa Hagmeister), sees things with greater clarity. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026 Murphy, a gifted mechanic and a veteran of the Great War, immediately stands out to Clancy as a tough-minded, industrious guy. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 Jan. 2026 The number of ambiguous, tough-minded docs may be dwindling, but the tools to repair a broken world are growing. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 7 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tough-minded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tough-minded
  1. unsentimental
  2. bottom-line
  3. unromantic
  4. levelheaded
  5. hard-edged
  6. rational
  7. sensible
  8. logical
Adjective
  • Mears died at the age of ninety-one, and the end of his life seems to have been as unsentimental as its beginning.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Though her voice is decidedly unsentimental, there’s still a gentleness to this novel that invites readers to care and wonder about history rather than mine it for certain knowledge.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of unsentimental
Adjective
  • The insurer saw shares jump 5% on the back of top- and bottom-line beats for the third quarter.
    — Ananya Chetia,Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Beyond the bottom-line impact of having the wrong amount of office space, using attendance data alone to make critical real estate decisions can also erode team trust.
    — Micah Remley, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of bottom-line
Adjective
  • At the press conference, a journalist noted that his filmography is notable for its unromantic view of animal life.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
  • For 30 minutes, the hunter watched the whitetails play a cat-and-mouse game as the buck tried to stay close to the unromantic does.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of unromantic
Adjective
  • To hear levelheaded commentators discuss it, this was all simply entertainment — two of the genre’s greats duking it out.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The group consists of levelheaded leader Blossom, sweet-natured Bubbles, and spunky Buttercup.
    — Oliver Gettell, Entertainment Weekly, 26 July 2026
Definition of levelheaded
Adjective
  • The Good, the Bad and the Painterly As Bouancheau fashioned a Puss that was more lyrical, like a character that stepped out of a fairy tale book and less hard-edged, all the other characters followed suit.
    — Karen Idelson, Variety, 23 Feb. 2023
Definition of hard-edged
Adjective
  • Sometimes our rational understanding of life and death bumps into a seemingly impossible presence.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Americans cast English severity as evidence of an old, corrupt political order and imagined their own laws as rational, proportionate and suited to free citizens.
    — Maurizio Valsania, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of rational
Adjective
  • Pope Leo’s approach to his health has been steady, sensible and balanced.
    — Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Gboard くるくるバージョン The mechanics are every bit as sensible as the premise.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of sensible
Adjective
  • Perhaps the squad took his ball-respecting mantra to its logical extreme, seemingly reluctant to sully it by smashing it into the net, with Chelsea recording the biggest xG underperformance in the Premier League during his brief tenure.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The rebuttal, though methodical and logical, was little more than a momentary speed bump for the runaway popularity of the psychedelic bread story.
    — Jennifer Byrne, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of logical

Browse Nearby Words

toughly
tough-minded
toughness
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Cite this Entry

“Tough-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tough-minded. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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