Dictionary
tough
Pronunciation: (tuf), [key]
—adj., -er, -est,
—adv., n., v.
—
adj.
1. strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.
2. not brittle or tender.
3. difficult to masticate, as food:
a tough steak.
4. of viscous consistency, as liquid or semiliquid matter:
tough molasses.
5. capable of great endurance; sturdy; hardy:
tough troops.
6. not easily influenced, as a person; unyielding; stubborn:
a tough man to work for.
7. hardened; incorrigible:
a tough criminal.
8. difficult to perform, accomplish, or deal with; hard, trying, or troublesome:
a tough problem.
9. hard to bear or endure (often used ironically):
tough luck.
10. vigorous; severe; violent:
a tough struggle.
11. vicious; rough; rowdyish:
a tough character; a tough neighborhood.
12. practical, realistic, and lacking in sentimentality; tough-minded.
13. Slang.remarkably excellent; first-rate; great.
14. hang tough, Slang.See
hang (def. 50).
—
adv.
in a tough manner.
—
n.
a ruffian; rowdy.
—
v.t.
tough it out, Informal.to endure or resist hardship or adversity.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
