How do you use the word "tough" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "tough": Donkeys are tough animals. To begin with, that kind of work is too tough for me.

Tough Meaning

/tʌf/

Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

adjStrong and resilient; sturdy.

adjOf a material, strong and resilient; sturdy.

Sentence Examples

Donkeys are tough animals.

To begin with, that kind of work is too tough for me.

The communist gave in to his tough opponent at last.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

hard difficult hood

Antonyms:

easy tender

CEFR Practice Quiz

The ____ leather jacket lasted for many years without getting any tearing.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

It was a very ____ decision to make, but he eventually decided to leave his old job and start a new career today.

Word Origin & History

From Middle English tough, towgh, tou, toȝ, from Old English tōh (“tough, tenacious, holding fast together; pliant; sticky, glutinous, clammy”), from Proto-West Germanic *tą̄h(ī), from Proto-Germanic *tanhuz (“fitting; clinging; tenacious; tough”), from *tinganą (“to press upon, throng”), from Proto-Indo-European *denḱ- (“to bite”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian toai (“tough”), Bavarian zaach, zach (“tough”), Dutch taai (“tough”), German zäh, zähe (“tough”), Limburgish tiee (“tough”), Luxembourgish zéi (“tough”); also Ancient Greek δάκνω (dáknō, “to bite”), Albanian danë, darë (“tongs; pincers; pliers”), Sanskrit दशति (daśati, “to bite”).

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"But before you quit turkey hunting and take up model-train collecting, let me give you the good news: you can score on tough turkeys. In fact, you can kill the toughest turkey in the woods." — 2010, Brian Lovett, Hunting Tough Turkeys, Stackpole Books, page 3:

"Anderson: We fought hard to get here. But now the toughest part of our mission begins. Anderson: We've got to drive right through the heart of Reaper-controlled territory, break past their defenses, and get to that beacon." — 2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Earth:

"President Joe Biden is embracing tougher border measures, including shutting down the US-Mexico border, marking a stark shift from his early days in office as he tries to fend off former President Donald Trump’s attacks on immigration policy ahead of the election." — 2024 January 27, Priscilla Alvarez, “Biden seizes on tougher border measures as he tries to fend off Trump attacks”, in CNN:

"No one ever came to me and told me they didn't like the song, but people had mentioned stuff to other members of the band, who, surprisingly enough, stuck up for me. They were straight but they said, you know, tough. He's our singer, and we like his music." — 1986, Bernard Brannner, quoting Blackberri, “Blackberri: Singing for Our Lives”, in Joseph Beam, editor, In The Life: A Black Gay Anthology, page 176:

"One of his best stories was "Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life" (1914), of which there survives only an amusing still, showing poor Mabel Normand chained to the rails by two toughs, the moustached villain threatening her with a sledge-hammer, and an awful sense of that inexorably approaching express!" — 1958 February 26, David Gunston, “Railways on the Screen”, in Railway Magazine, page 87:

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