Adjective tough has 8 senses
  1. tough - not given to gentleness or sentimentality; "a tough character"
    Antonyms:
    tender, caring, protective, sentimental
  2. rugged, tough - 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"
    Antonym: easy (indirect, via difficult)
  3. tough, toughened - physically toughened; "the tough bottoms of his feet"
    Antonyms: tender, untoughened, delicate, soft
  4. sturdy, tough - substantially made or constructed; "sturdy steel shelves"; "sturdy canvas"; "a tough all-weather fabric"; "some plastics are as tough as metal"
    Antonym: delicate (indirect, via rugged)
  5. ruffianly, tough - violent and lawless; "the more ruffianly element"; "tough street gangs"
    Antonym: nonviolent (indirect, via violent)
  6. bad, tough - 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"
    Antonyms: comfortable, comfy (indirect, via uncomfortable)
  7. tough - tough to cut or chew
    Antonyms:
    tender, chewable, cuttable, crisp, crispy, short, tenderized, tenderised, flaky, flakey
  8. hard, tough - unfortunate or hard to bear; "had hard luck"; "a tough break"
    Antonym: good (indirect, via bad)
,Noun tough has 3 senses
  1. street fighter, tough - someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing
    --1 is a kind of combatant, battler, belligerent, fighter, scrapper
  2. hood, hoodlum, goon, punk, thug, tough, toughie, strong-armer - an aggressive and violent young criminal
    --2 is a kind of criminal, felon, crook, outlaw, malefactor
  3. bully, tough, hooligan, ruffian, roughneck, rowdy, yob, yobo, yobbo - a cruel and brutal fellow
    --3 is a kind of attacker, aggressor, assailant, assaulter
    --3 has particulars:
     bullyboy; muscleman, muscle; skinhead; tough guy, plug-ugly
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