From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
tough
adj 1: not given to gentleness or sentimentality; "a tough
character" [ant: tender]
2: very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution; "a
rugged competitive examination"; "the rugged conditions of
frontier life"; "the competition was tough"; "it's a tough
life"; "it was a tough job" [syn: rugged]
3: physically toughened; "the tough bottoms of his feet" [syn:
toughened] [ant: tender]
4: substantially made or constructed; "sturdy steel shelves";
"sturdy canvas"; "a tough all-weather fabric"; "some
plastics are as tough as metal" [syn: sturdy]
5: violent and lawless; "the more ruffianly element"; "tough
street gangs" [syn: ruffianly]
6: 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]
7: tough to cut or chew [ant: tender]
8: unfortunate or hard to bear; "had hard luck"; "a tough
break" [syn: hard]
n 1: someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than
being formally trained in the sport of boxing [syn:
street fighter]
2: an aggressive and violent young criminal [syn: hood,
hoodlum, goon, punk, thug, toughie,
strong-armer]
3: a cruel and brutal fellow [syn: bully, hooligan,
ruffian, roughneck, rowdy, yob, yobo, yobbo]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Tough \Tough\, a. [Compar. Tougher; superl. Toughest.] [OE.
tough, AS. t[=o]h, akin to D. taai, LG. taa, tage, tau, OHG.
z[=a]hi, G. z[aum]he, and also to AS. getenge near to, close
to, oppressive, OS. bitengi.]
1. Having the quality of flexibility without brittleness;
yielding to force without breaking; capable of resisting
great strain; as, the ligaments of animals are remarkably
tough. "Tough roots and stubs. " --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
2. Not easily broken; able to endure hardship; firm; strong;
-- of objects and people; as, tough sinews. --Cowper.
[1913 Webster]
A body made of brass, the crone demands, . . .
Tough to the last, and with no toil to tire.
--Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
The basis of his character was caution combined with
tough tenacity of purpose. --J. A.
Symonds.
[1913 Webster]
3. Not easily separated; viscous; clammy; tenacious; as,
tough phlegm.
[1913 Webster]
4. Stiff; rigid; not flexible; stubborn; as, a tough bow.
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So tough a frame she could not bend. --Dryden.
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5. Severe; violent; as, a tough storm. [Colloq.] " A tough
debate. " --Fuller.
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6. Difficult to do, perform, or accomplish; as, a tough job.
[PJC]
7. Prone to aggressive or violent behavior; rowdyish; -- of
people, or groups; as, a tough neighborhood; a tough
character.
[PJC]
To make it tough, to make it a matter of difficulty; to
make it a hard matter. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
tough \tough\, n.
A person who is tough[7]; a ruffian; a thug; as, a cluster of
neighborhood toughs hanging out on the corner.
[PJC]