No sooner had we finished working on one tough problem than the president sent us yet another straight from the top.
Source: tatoeba (27446)
Tough
//tʌf//
Synonyms for "tough" (709 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (142)
badbullycartilaginouschewyfibroushoodleatherlikeruggedstrictsturdyunsentimentalabidingabstruseace-highacuteadamantadamantineadherentadhesiveage-long
Show 94 more words
agedaggressiveamylaceousancientantaeusantiquearbitraryarduousastringentathleticatlasaustereauthoritarianbackbreakingbafflingbang upbang-upbarbarianbattlerbeastbeldambelligerentbelted knightberserkberserkerbeyond onebickererbladebomberbonybonzerbossbravobrawlerbrawnybriareusbrobdingnagianbruiserbrutalbrutebulkybulldoggedbulldoggishbulldoggybullheadedbullyboyburdensomeburlybut goodcallouscallousedcementcementalcharles atlaschronicclabberedclammyclingyclottedcoagulatedcohesivecoldcolossuscombatantcompetitorcomplexcomplicatedconcreteconfirmedconstantcontendercontestantcontinuingcoolcoriaceouscorkingcorneouscrabbedcrackerjackcrampcriminalcriticalcrushingcurdledcuttingcyclopsdandydelicatedeliciousdemandingdemondensedevildiamondlike
Strong matches (213)
Adjective(35 words)
difficiledifficultdisputantdiuturnaldomineeringdoughtydoughydourdragondrasticduckyduelistdurabledureeffortfulenduringenforcerenuredevergreenexacting
Show 146 more words
excessiveexigentexorbitantextravagantextremefabfencerfeuderfiendfiercefighterfighting cockfine and dandyfire eaterfire-eaterfirebrandfirmfixedflintlikeflintyfoilsmanforcedformidablefuriousfurygamegamecockgamygangstergarbledgaumygeargelatinousgiantgladiatorglairygluelikeglueyglutenousglutinoseglutinousgoliathgooeygoongorillagranitelikegraniticgreatgrievousgrimgristlygrittygroovygruelinggrumousgumbogumbolikegumlikegummousgummygungunselgutsyguttyhairyhardhard as nailshard bittenhard earnedhard foughthard to understandhard-bittenhard-boiledhard-earnedhard-foughthard-linehard-nosedhard-sethardenedhardheartedhardnosehardyharshhatchet manheavyheftyhell raiserhell-raiserhellcathellhoundhellionherculeanherculesholy terrorhoodlumhooliganhornyhothotheadhotspurhunky doryhunky-doryhuskyicyimmoderateimmutableincendiaryinflexibleinspissatedintemperateintenseintractableintransientintrepidintricateinuredinveterateirksomeiron-hardironlikejam-upjawbreakingjelledjelliedjellylikejousterjumbledjust dandykeenkillerkillingknightknottedknottylaboredlaboriouslapideouslastingleatherylithoidlithoidallong lastinglong livedlong standinglong termlong-lasting
Related words (354)
long-livedlong-standinglong-termlongevallongevousmacrobioticmad dogmadcapmafiosomanlymarblemarblelikemarvymassivemeanmercilessmeticulousmettlesomemilitantmonster
Show 250 more words
mucilaginousmuckermugmuggermuscle manmuscularmystifyingnailnarrowneatnervyniftyno picnicnobbynot easyobdurateobfuscatedobscureobscuredobstinateof long durationof long standingokokayonerousoperoseoppressiveosseousout of sightout of this worldoutrageousovertechnicalpainfulpastypeachypeachy-keenperdurableperduringperennialpermanentperpetualperplexedperplexingpersistentpersistingpertinaciouspicnicpiercingpluckyplug uglyplug-uglypolyphemuspowerfulpowerhouseproblematicalprocrusteanproofpunishingpunkpuzzlingquarrelerrapistrealisticred bloodedred-bloodedrefractoryregrettablerelentlessremainingresistantresistiveresoluterevolutionaryrigidrigorousrioterrippingrivalrocklikerockyrodmanropyroughroughneckrowdyruffianruffianlyrumruthlesssabreursamsonsavagescrambledscrapperscrumptiousscufflerself-adhesivesempervirentseriousserviceableset with thornsseveresharpshe-wolfsinewyslabbyslap-upslimyslitherysmashingsolidsomething elsesoundspartanspartanicspiffingspiffyspinyspiritedspiritfulspitfiresplittingspunkysquabblerstablestalwartstarchystayingsteadfaststeadysteellikesteelysteepsternstickablestickystiffstodgystonelikestonystoutstrainedstrappingstreet fighterstreetfighterstrenuousstringentstringystrongstrong armstrong manstrong-arm manstrong-armerstrugglerstubbornstunningsubstantialsuperincumbentsupermanswashbucklerswellswordswordplayerswordsmansyrupytackytarzantauttaxingtenacioustermagantterribleterrorterroristthe mightythe strongthickthick-skinnedthickenedthornythugticklishtigertighttigresstiltertitantoilsometorpedotough as leathertough guytough skinnedtower of strengthtremelloidtremellosetrickytrigger mantroublesometryingtusslerugly customerunalterableunaskedunbendingunbreakableuncaringunchewableuncomfortableuncompromisingunconscionableunderprivilegedunfadingunfeelingungivingunkindunsparingunsympatheticuntiringunyieldinguphillvehementvenomousvigorousviolentviragovirilevirulentviscidviscoseviscousvitalvixenwearisomeweather beatenweightywell-builtwell-constructedwell-foundedwell-groundedwell-madewickedwild beastwirywitchwithstandingwizardwolfwrangleryahooyoung turk
Noun(22 words)
Adjective(55 words)
Adjective(6 words)
Phrase(1 words)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
14 entriesAntonyms
6 entriesSynonyms
8 entriesderived
58 entriesShowing 16 of 58 words.
distinct from
5 entrieshas context
2 entriesinstance of
1 entriesis a
1 entriesrelated to
51 entriesShowing 16 of 51 words.
similar
51 entriesShowing 16 of 51 words.
Translations
118 translations across 31 languages.
Basque
1 entries- gogor adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Bulgarian
4 entries- жилав adj (difficult to chew)
- корав adj (difficult to chew)
- труден adj (harsh or severe)
- труден adj (difficult or demanding)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 艱苦 /艰苦 adj (harsh or severe)
Dutch
2 entries- taai adj (difficult to chew)
- jammer intj (lack of sympathy)
Finnish
4 entries- ankara adj (harsh or severe)
- hankala adj (difficult or demanding)
- kova adj (rowdy or rough)
- sitkeä adj (difficult to chew)
French
1 entries- dur adj (difficult or demanding)
Friulian
1 entries- dûr adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Galician
3 entries- difícil adj (difficult or demanding)
- duro adj (difficult to chew)
- duro adj (harsh or severe)
Georgian
4 entries- გამძლე adj (rugged or physically hardy)
- მკაცრი adj (harsh or severe)
- მტკიცე adj (material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking)
- უხეში adj (rowdy or rough)
German
4 entries- knifflig adj (difficult or demanding)
- schwierig adj (difficult or demanding)
- widerstandsfähig adj (rugged or physically hardy)
- zäh adj (difficult to chew)
Greek
4 entries- σκληρός adj (difficult to chew)
- σκληρός adj (rugged or physically hardy)
- σκληρός adj (rowdy or rough)
- τραχύς adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Hindi
2 entries- सख़्त adj (rugged or physically hardy)
- सख्त adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Hungarian
1 entries- rágós adj (difficult to chew)
Irish
1 entries- righin adj (difficult to chew)
Italian
4 entries- coriaceo adj (difficult to chew)
- duro adj (difficult to chew)
- duro adj (rugged or physically hardy)
- resistente adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Japanese
4 entries- きつい adj (harsh or severe)
- たいへん adj (harsh or severe)
- 硬い adj (difficult to chew)
- 辛い adj (harsh or severe)
Khmer
4 entries- កំណាច adj (rowdy or rough)
- ប្រិត adj (harsh or severe)
- ពិបាក adj (difficult or demanding)
- មាំ adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Māori
4 entries- kākatikati adj (difficult to chew)
- kākoa adj (difficult to chew)
- pūioio adj (difficult to chew)
- pūioio adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Norwegian
1 entries- seig adj (difficult to chew)
Pashto
4 entries- سخت adj (rugged or physically hardy)
- کلک adj (difficult to chew)
- کلک adj (rugged or physically hardy)
- ګران adj (difficult or demanding)
Persian
2 entries- سفت adj (difficult to chew)
- چغر adj (difficult to chew)
Plautdietsch
2 entries- toag adj (difficult to chew)
- toag adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Polish
3 entries- odporny adj (rugged or physically hardy)
- twardy adj (difficult to chew)
- wytrzymały adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Portuguese
4 entries- difícil adj (difficult or demanding)
- duro adj (difficult to chew)
- durão adj (rowdy or rough)
- resistente adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Russian
4 entries- жёсткий adj (difficult to chew)
- про́чный adj (material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking)
- тру́дный adj (harsh or severe)
- тя́жкий adj (harsh or severe)
Scottish Gaelic
3 entries- fulangach adj (rugged or physically hardy)
- righinn adj (difficult to chew)
- tapaidh adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Spanish
4 entries- de mano dura adj (difficult or demanding)
- recio adj (rugged or physically hardy)
- resistente adj (rugged or physically hardy)
- rudo adj (rugged or physically hardy)
Swedish
4 entries- seg adj (difficult to chew)
- seg adj (material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking)
- svår adj (harsh or severe)
- svår adj (difficult or demanding)
Turkish
1 entries- sert adj (difficult to chew)
Vietnamese
4 entries- bền adj (material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking)
- dai adj (difficult to chew)
- du côn adj (rowdy or rough)
- dẻo adj (material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking)
Yiddish
1 entries- שטאַרקער noun (one who obtains things by force)
Sample sentences
29 total sentences available.
Donkeys are tough animals.
Source: tatoeba (29333)
To begin with, that kind of work is too tough for me.
Source: tatoeba (32754)
We had a tough job.
Source: tatoeba (39751)
Showing 4 of 29 available sentences.
Keep exploring
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.