strong and flexible; not brittle or liable to cut, break, or tear easily
said of food: not easily chewed
characterized by severity or uncompromising determination
a tough and inflexible foreign policy — New Statesman
capable of enduring great hardship or exertion; hardy
very hard to influence; stubborn
extremely difficult or testing
a tough problem
stubbornly fought
a tough contest
aggressive or threatening in behaviour; unruly or rowdy
without softness or sentimentality
informal unfortunate or unpleasant
That's tough
toughly adv
toughness noun
[Old English tōh]