Added 8 October 2026
tough
/tʌf/ adjective
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about tough at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Of a material, strong and resilient; sturdy.
The tent, made of tough canvas, held up to many abuses.
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Of food, difficult to cut or chew.
To soften a tough cut of meat, the recipe suggested simmering it for hours.
-
Of a person or animal, rugged or physically hardy.
Only a tough species will survive in the desert.
interjection
noun
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A person who obtains things by force; a thug or bully.
They were doing fine until they encountered a bunch of toughs from the opposition.
verb
Origin
From Middle English tough, towgh, tou, toȝ, from Old English tōh (“tough, tenacious, holding fast together; pliant; sticky, glutinous, clammy”), from Proto-West Germanic *tą̄h(ī), from Proto-Germanic *tanhuz (“fitting; clinging; tenacious; tough”), from *tinganą (“to press upon, throng”), from Proto-Indo-European *denḱ- (“to bite”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian toai (“tough”), Bavarian zaach, zach (“tough”), Dutch taai (“tough”), German zäh, zähe (“tough”), Limburgish tiee (“tough”), Luxembourgish zéi (“tough”); also Ancient Greek δάκνω (dáknō, “to bite”), Albanian danë, darë (“tongs; pincers; pliers”), Sanskrit दशति (daśati, “to bite”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)