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; "my throat feels bad";

"she felt bad all over"; ('tough' is occasionally used

colloquially for `bad' as in "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 young criminal [syn: {hood}, {hoodlum}, {goon},

{punk}, {thug}, {toughie}]

3: a cruel and brutal fellow [syn: {bully}, {hooligan}, {ruffian},

{roughneck}, {rowdy}, {yob}, {yobo}, {yobbo}]