Thesaurus results for TOUGHY

toughie

noun

ˈtə-fē

variants also toughy

Definition of toughie

as in thug

a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang after numerous suspensions, the school toughies were finally expelled for gang activities on campus

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 toughie Other toughies are at the not-so-soft Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13, the revenge trip to New England in Week 15 and the Philadelphia Eagles at Highmark Stadium in Week 17. — Tim Graham, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025 And special days call for special grids, such as this set of six toughies that were originally shelved but have remained in our hearts. — Vulture Editors, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025 Extra time may be spent looking for that toughie that was present just a few days ago. — Taylor Piephoff, charlotteobserver, 15 Dec. 2017 Another cold-weather toughie is Alaska's red flat bark beetle, which, under lab conditions, can survive cooling down to minus 238 degrees Fahrenheit. — Liz Langley, National Geographic, 10 Dec. 2016 The surprises come from Rachel McAdams, who holds her own as a wise-cracking toughie, and PeÃ±a, who defrosts from macho pride mode with low-key grace. — Hugh Hart, WIRED, 29 Oct. 2008

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toughie

Noun

The eponymous former assassin is drawn back into the game after some thugs (led by Alfie Allen) kill his dog and royally piss him off.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026
Tae-ha’s mom left him after Sang-gil, who was also a boxer prior to becoming a thug, cheated in a match.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of thug

Noun

And Susan Collins, as Democrats have seen time and time again, is a real tough out.

— NBC news, NBC news, 21 June 2026
In that version, the character is played by Joe Don Baker, the great character actor known for playing toughs in films like Walking Tall (1973) and Fletch (1985).

— Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026

Definition of tough

Noun

Furious drops the ball a bit in the interactions with Emma and Jay Easton, turning them into one-dimensional caricatures instead of complex villains, but honestly, this show isn’t really about them.

— Erin Qualey, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Saoirse Ronan is ready to step into the dark side and is doubling down on wanting to play a villain in the James Bond universe.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of villain

Noun

Boxing is fun especially when the boxer in question is beating up criminals in East London.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Working together to track these flows would reduce the chance that international criminals can extend their reach beyond any single jurisdiction.

— Alvin Camba, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

Karp was also involved in the sale last week of a $21 million lot on Palm Island where a mansion owned by gangster Al Capone once stood.

— Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
The bodies start piling up – and business booms – but the growing enterprise puts the trio in the crosshairs of the powerful gangsters and underworld figures in the lawless border town of Saribgunj.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of gangster

Noun

The Brigands of Rattlecreek follows a sheriff and a doctor who seek revenge against a group of bandits who use the cover of a torrential thunderstorm to rob and terrorize the occupants of a small town.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Instead of splitting traffic 50/50 until an end date, AI shifts traffic toward the better performing version while the test is still live, an approach often called a multi-armed bandit.

— Karan Sharma, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of bandit

Noun

The would-be assassin was arrested by police and led investigators to two members of a Russian mob network who had enlisted him on behalf of Iran.

— Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
Bannerman centers on the eponymous Paul Bannerman, a lethal covert operative who convinces a group of the world’s most deadly assassins to quit the spy game for a chance to lead normal lives in the suburbs of Connecticut.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of assassin

Noun

Ninety-five percent of them carried advertising for unregulated gambling, according to Gaming Compliance International, which monitored pirate feeds across the tournament.

— Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
But don’t tell that to 65-year-old Phillip Schutt, a longtime Buffett fan who has spent years transforming his home into a tropical paradise, complete with surfboards, a handmade lobster trap and even a pirate skeleton taking refuge in a trash can.

— Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of pirate

Browse Nearby Words

toughens

toughie

toughies

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Toughie.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toughie. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of toughie

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

devolve

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes