not given to gentleness or sentimentality; a tough character'

physically toughened; the tough bottoms of his feet

[ Syn: toughened ]

resistant to cutting or chewing

someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing

[ Syn: street fighter ]

an aggressive and violent young criminal

[ Syn: hood , hoodlum , goon , punk , thug , toughie , strong-armer ]

a cruel and brutal fellow

[ Syn: bully , hooligan , ruffian , roughneck , rowdy , yob , yobo , yobbo ]

very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution; a rugged competitive examination; the rugged conditions of frontier life; the competition was tough; its a tough life; it was a tough job

[ Syn: rugged ]

substantially made or constructed; sturdy steel shelves; sturdy canvas; a tough all-weather fabric; some plastics are as tough as metal

[ Syn: sturdy ]

violent and lawless; the more ruffianly element; tough street gangs

[ Syn: ruffianly ]

feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough is occasionally used colloquially for `bad); my throat feels bad; she felt bad all over; he was feeling tough after a restless night

[ Syn: bad ]

unfortunate or hard to bear; had hard luck; a tough break

[ Syn: hard ]

making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe; a baffling problem; I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast; a problematic situation at home

[ Syn: baffling , elusive , knotty , problematic , problematical ]