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

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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 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

That a Christian man was responsible for the devastation in Oklahoma City certainly didn’t matter to the thugs who terrorized a Muslim woman there, nearly seven months pregnant, by attacking her home, breaking her windows, screaming religious slurs.

— Reshma Memon Yaqub, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
On a cold night in November 2011, in a field outside Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, a gang of thugs stormed a Soviet scientific research institute, beat and humiliated the staff and burned the place to the ground.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 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

Her bulging eyes, her piercing shrieks, her casual yet immaculately articulate cruelty all come together to form a cartoonish villain who’s also a commanding delight.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2026
The implicit villain in that critique was Senator Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who refused to go along with changing the Senate rules, dooming many of Biden’s legislative ambitions.

— Isaac Arnsdorf, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of villain

Noun

Victims who clicked those ads were redirected to fake banking websites controlled by the criminals, according to the DOJ.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Trump, his family and his wealthy cronies are criminals spending taxpayers’ money and taking it with their underhanded deals with our enemies.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

When a wealthy, royal woman is attacked by bandits, the two men save her and are welcomed to the castle as valiant knights.

— Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Elsewhere, a gang of highway bandits cons an unsuspecting family into stopping by the roadside, only to violently kill them, burn their bodies, and strip their car for parts.

— Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of bandit

Noun

Its tale of a Zainichi assassin (an ethnic Korean in Japan), as well as fraying political tensions between the North and South, take its characters far and wide, in a follow-the-money treasure hunt dangerously close to the halls of power.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
Some earlier assassins expected it of themselves, canceling plots that would have killed bystanders.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of assassin

Browse Nearby Words

toughens

toughie

toughies

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

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Synonyms of toughie

noun

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