Need another word that means the same as “tough”? Find 113 synonyms and 30 related words for “tough” in this overview.
The synonyms of “Tough” are: baffling, elusive, knotty, problematic, problematical, rugged, hard, ruffianly, toughened, sturdy, bad, durable, strong, resilient, resistant, firm, solid, substantial, sound, stout, indestructible, unbreakable, rigid, stiff, inflexible, chewy, leathery, gristly, stringy, fibrous, sinewy, cartilaginous, hardy, gritty, determined, resolute, dogged, stalwart, arduous, onerous, difficult, demanding, heavy, taxing, burdensome, tiring, exhausting, punishing, wearying, laborious, strenuous, exacting, troublesome, formidable, stressful, herculean, thorny, tricky, ticklish, prickly, perplexing, puzzling, mystifying, bothersome, irksome, intractable, strict, stern, severe, harsh, hard-hitting, adamant, unyielding, unbending, uncompromising, unsentimental, unsympathetic, rough, rowdy, unruly, disorderly, violent, wild, lawless, criminal, street fighter, goon, hood, hoodlum, punk, strong-armer, thug, toughie, bully, hooligan, roughneck, ruffian, yob, yobbo, yobo, brute, bully boy, gangster, desperado, put up with it, grin and bear it, keep at it, keep going, stay with it, see it through, see it through to the end
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “tough” as a noun can have the following definitions:
| brute | Something awkward, difficult, or unpleasant. What an unfeeling little brute you are. |
| bully | A person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable. He is a ranting domineering bully. |
| bully boy | A hired thug. |
| desperado | A desperate or reckless person, especially a criminal. |
| gangster | A criminal who is a member of gang. Gangster movies. |
| goon | An awkward stupid person. I don t want to deal with Jack today he s such a goon. |
| hood | A structure or marking resembling a hood on the head or neck of an animal. A jacket with a detachable hood. |
| hoodlum | An aggressive and violent young criminal. They were the professional gangsters of New York hoodlums and racketeers. |
| hooligan | A violent young troublemaker, typically one of a gang. Hooligan behaviour. |
| punk | An admirer or player of punk rock typically characterized by coloured spiked hair and clothing decorated with safety pins or zips. There s never been a better time to take our streets back from the punks. |
| rough | A disreputable and violent person. I did a rough to work out the scale of the lettering. |
| roughneck | A rough and uncouth person. The usual roughnecks and gangsters. |
| rowdy | A cruel and brutal fellow. We are accused of being rowdies in the pub. |
| ruffian | A violent criminal or troublemaker. |
| street fighter | People living or working on the same street. |
| strong-armer | An aggressive and violent young criminal. |
| toughie | An aggressive and violent young criminal. Who do you admire most That s a toughie. |
| yob | A rude, noisy, and aggressive young person. |
| yobo | A cruel and brutal fellow. |
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “tough” as a verb can have the following definitions:
| grin and bear it | To draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl. |
| keep at it | Fail to spoil or rot. |
| keep going | Maintain by writing regular records. |
| put up with it | Estimate. |
| see it through | Imagine; conceive of; see in one’s mind. |
| see it through to the end | Observe as if with an eye. |
| stay with it | Dwell. |
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “tough” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
| adamant | Refusing to be persuaded or to change one’s mind. He is adamant that he is not going to resign. |
| arduous | Characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort. An arduous journey. |
| bad | Feeling physical discomfort or pain tough is occasionally used colloquially for bad. A bad listener. |
| baffling | Making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe. The crime is a baffling mystery for the police. |
| bothersome | Annoying; troublesome. Most childhood stomach aches though bothersome aren t serious. |
| burdensome | Undesirably restrictive. The burdensome task of preparing the income tax return. |
| cartilaginous | (of a vertebrate animal) having a skeleton of cartilage. |
| chewy | Requiring much chewing. The rye bread has a nice chewy texture. |
| criminal | (of an action or situation) deplorable and shocking. A criminal offence. |
| demanding | Requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill. He was a demanding baby and rarely slept through the night. |
| determined | Having been learned or found or determined especially by investigation. A determined effort to reduce inflation. |
| difficult | Characterized by or causing hardships or problems. The questions are too difficult for the children. |
| disorderly | Undisciplined and unruly. A disorderly pile of books. |
| dogged | Having or showing tenacity and grim persistence. Dogged persistence. |
| durable | Able to withstand wear, pressure, or damage; hard-wearing. Porcelain enamel is strong and durable. |
| elusive | Making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe. A haunting elusive odor. |
| exacting | Severe and unremitting in making demands. An exacting job. |
| exhausting | Producing exhaustion. An exhausting job in the hot sun. |
| fibrous | Full of sinews; especially impossible to chew. A good fibrous root system. |
| firm | Marked by firm determination or resolution not shakable. We became firm friends. |
| formidable | Inspiring fear. The formidable prospect of major surgery. |
| gristly | Difficult to chew. Gristly bits of beef. |
| gritty | Willing to face danger. Her eyes felt gritty. |
| hard | Unfortunate or hard to bear. Had hard luck. |
| hard-hitting | Aggressively and persistently persuasive. |
| hardy | (of a plant) able to survive outside during winter. A hardy breed of cattle. |
| harsh | Disagreeable to the senses. Harsh irritating smoke filled the hallway. |
| heavy | Large and powerful especially designed for heavy loads or rough work. Heavy traffic. |
| herculean | Extremely difficult; requiring the strength of a Hercules. A herculean task. |
| indestructible | Very long lasting. Indestructible plastic containers. |
| inflexible | Incapable of adapting or changing to meet circumstances. An inflexible iron bar. |
| intractable | Not tractable; difficult to manage or mold. The most intractable issue of our era. |
| irksome | Irritating; annoying. Petty regulations were becoming very irksome. |
| knotty | Extremely difficult or complex. A knotty problem. |
| laborious | Characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort. The work is very slow and laborious. |
| lawless | Disobedient to or defiant of law. Lawless bands roaming the plains. |
| leathery | Resembling or made to resemble leather; tough but pliable. Brown leathery skin. |
| mystifying | Of an obscure nature. Rituals totally mystifying to visitors from other lands. |
| onerous | Not easily borne; wearing. My duties weren t onerous I only had to greet the guests. |
| perplexing | Lacking clarity of meaning; causing confusion or perplexity. A perplexing problem. |
| prickly | Resembling prickles. My skin feels prickly. |
| problematic | Open to doubt or debate. If you ever get married which seems to be extremely problematic. |
| problematical | Open to doubt or debate. The weighting of votes was particularly problematical. |
| punishing | Characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort. Set a punishing pace. |
| puzzling | Not clear to the understanding. A puzzling statement. |
| resilient | (of a person or animal) able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Babies are generally far more resilient than new parents realize. |
| resistant | Disposed to or engaged in defiance of established authority. Some of the old Churches are resistant to change. |
| resolute | Characterized by quickness and firmness. Stood resolute against the enemy. |
| rigid | Incapable of adapting or changing to meet circumstances. A face rigid with pain. |
| rough | Not fully worked out or including every detail. The lifeboat crew braved rough seas to rescue a couple. |
| rowdy | Noisy and disorderly. It was a rowdy but good natured crowd. |
| ruffianly | Violent and lawless. The more ruffianly element. |
| rugged | Very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution. The binoculars are compact lightweight and rugged. |
| severe | Severely simple. A severe attack of asthma. |
| sinewy | (of a person or animal) lean and muscular. A short sinewy sunburnt man. |
| solid | Of good quality and condition solidly built. Solid gold. |
| sound | In excellent physical condition. A sound argument. |
| stalwart | Dependable. He was of stalwart build. |
| stern | Of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor forbidding in aspect. A stern face. |
| stiff | (of a semi-liquid substance) viscous; thick. A palace guardsman stiff as a poker. |
| stout | Dependable. Stout hearts. |
| strenuous | Characterized by or performed with much energy or force. The government made strenuous efforts to upgrade the quality of the teaching profession. |
| stressful | Causing mental or emotional stress. Corporate finance work can be stressful. |
| strict | Characterized by strictness severity or restraint. A strict vegetarian. |
| stringy | Lean and sinewy. The meat was a bit stringy but delicious. |
| strong | Strong and sure. His imagery made a strong impression on the critics. |
| sturdy | Having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships. The bike is sturdy enough to cope with bumpy tracks. |
| substantial | Strongly built or made. The first meal of the day should be substantial. |
| taxing | Not easily borne; wearing. A taxing schedule. |
| thorny | Causing distress, difficulty, or trouble. Tangled thorny branches. |
| ticklish | (of a situation or problem) difficult or tricky and requiring careful handling. I m ticklish on the feet. |
| tiring | Causing one to need rest or sleep; fatiguing. It had been a tiring day. |
| toughened | Physically toughened. |
| tricky | Marked by skill in deception. A tricky recipe to follow. |
| troublesome | Causing difficulty or annoyance. A troublesome situation. |
| unbending | Incapable of adapting or changing to meet circumstances. An unbending will to dominate. |
| unbreakable | Not liable to break or able to be broken easily. Unbreakable plastic dinnerwear. |
| uncompromising | Not making concessions. Took an uncompromising stance in the peace talks. |
| unruly | Unwilling to submit to authority. The little boy s parents think he is spirited but his teacher finds him unruly. |
| unsentimental | Facing facts or difficulties realistically and with determination. The speeches were short and unsentimental. |
| unsympathetic | Not showing approval or favour towards an idea or action. A job temperamentally unsympathetic to him. |
| unyielding | Stubbornly unyielding T S Eliot. An unyielding head support. |
| violent | Marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions inclined to react violently fervid. Violent passions. |
| wearying | Producing exhaustion. A long wearying journey. |
| wild | Produced from wild animals or plants without cultivation. Wild geese. |
| brave | People who are brave. He put up a brave fight before losing. |
| brogan | A thick and heavy shoe. |
| burly | Muscular and heavily built. Had a tall burly frame. |
| firm | Marked by firm determination or resolution not shakable. We firmly believed it. |
| gruff | Brusque and surly and forbidding. She spoke with a gruff masculine voice. |
| hard | Causing great damage or hardship. Prejudices die hard. |
| hardened | Used of persons emotionally hardened. Hardened criminals. |
| hardheaded | Guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory. A hardheaded appraisal of our position. |
| hardy | Having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships. Strawberries are hardy and easy to grow. |
| husky | (of a voice or utterance) sounding low-pitched and slightly hoarse. The husky stem of a palm tree. |
| inflexible | Resistant to being bent. An inflexible law. |
| inured | Made tough by habitual exposure- Robert Lynd- V.S.Pritchett. A peasant dark lean faced wind inured. |
| manliness | The fact of being typically male; masculinity. The author s alleged lack of manliness. |
| masculine | A masculine word or form. He is outstandingly handsome and robust very masculine. |
| muscular | Having a robust muscular body build characterized by predominance of structures bone and muscle and connective tissue developed from the embryonic mesodermal layer. The muscular and passionate Fifth Symphony. |
| potent | Having great power, influence, or effect. A potent cup of tea. |
| raspy | Unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound. A persistent raspy cough. |
| resolute | Firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination. Faced with a resolute opposition. |
| rigidity | The physical property of being stiff and resisting bending. The rigidity of the school system. |
| rigidness | The physical property of being stiff and resisting bending. |
| robust | Uncompromising and forceful. A robust metal cabinet. |
| rowdy | Noisy and disorderly. It was a rowdy but good natured crowd. |
| solid | Of good quality and condition solidly built. The bank is solid and will survive this attack. |
| stalwart | Used especially of persons. The stalwarts of the Labour Party. |
| strong | Relating to or denoting the strongest of the known kinds of force between particles which acts between nucleons and other hadrons when closer than about 10 cm so binding protons in a nucleus despite the repulsion due to their charge and which conserves strangeness parity and isospin. Gave a strong pull on the rope. |
| sturdy | Not making concessions. The bike is sturdy enough to cope with bumpy tracks. |
| uncompromising | Not making concessions. The uncompromising ugliness of the era s buildings. |
| unyielding | Stubbornly unyielding T S Eliot. His unyielding faith. |
| vigorous | Strong and active physically or mentally. Gave her skirt a vigorous shake. |
| virile | Characterized by energy and vigor. He was a powerful virile man. |
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