TOUGH
What does "TOUGH" mean?
Strong and durable, hard to break, cut, or wear out; or difficult to deal with.
Meanings
- Strong enough to withstand wear, strain, or hardship; not easily broken. These boots are tough enough for any trail.
- Difficult to do, endure, or solve. It was a tough decision, and no answer felt right.
- Hard to chew because it is not tender. The steak was cooked so long it turned tough.
- A rough, aggressive person; a thug. A pair of toughs blocked the alley. informal
Did you know?
- 'Tough', 'though', 'through', 'thought', 'cough', and 'bough' all share '-ough' yet none of them rhyme with each other - one of English's most infamous spelling traps.
Word origin
From Old English 'toh', meaning 'strong, firm, not easily broken', from Proto-Germanic 'tanhu-'; related to Dutch 'taai' and German 'zah'.
Remember it
TOUGH rhymes with 'stuff' and 'rough' - all the gritty '-ough' words; if it's tough, it's made of rough stuff.
A little poem
The oak that bends in every gale grows tough;
the one that won't is firewood soon enough.
couplet
Wordplay
- Spelling 'tough' is tough - the 'ough' coughs up a different sound through every word it's thrown through.
What it teaches
Toughness is not the refusal to bend; it is the ability to bend and still hold.
Quick facts
What does TOUGH mean?
Strong and durable, hard to break, cut, or wear out; or difficult to deal with.
Is TOUGH a valid word?
Yes — TOUGH is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is TOUGH?
TOUGH has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does TOUGH come from?
From Old English 'toh', meaning 'strong, firm, not easily broken', from Proto-Germanic 'tanhu-'; related to Dutch 'taai' and German 'zah'.
What can TOUGH teach us?
Toughness is not the refusal to bend; it is the ability to bend and still hold.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.