tough

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• General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /tʌf/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• Australian, New-Zealand: /tɐf/
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• Northern-England: /tʊf/
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• rhymes with -ʌf
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• homophone: tuff
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• CMU ARPABET: T AH1 F Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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”).

113 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: жилав (žilav) — difficult to chew
• Bulgarian: корав (korav) — difficult to chew
• Dutch: taai — difficult to chew
• Finnish: sitkeä — difficult to chew
• Galician: duro — difficult to chew
• German: zäh — difficult to chew
• Greek: σκληρός (sklirós) — difficult to chew
• Hungarian: rágós — difficult to chew
• Irish: righin — difficult to chew
• Italian: duro — difficult to chew
• Italian: coriaceo — difficult to chew
• Japanese: 硬い (katai) — difficult to chew
• Khmer: រឹង (rɨng) — difficult to chew
• Khmer: ស្វិត (svət) — difficult to chew
• Māori: kākatikati — difficult to chew
• Māori: pūioio — difficult to chew
• Māori: kākoa — difficult to chew
• Norwegian: seig — difficult to chew
• Pashto: کلک (klak) — difficult to chew
• Persian: سفت (seft) — difficult to chew
• Persian: چغر (čeġer) — difficult to chew
• Plautdietsch: toag — difficult to chew
• Polish: twardy — difficult to chew
• Portuguese: duro — difficult to chew
• Russian: жёсткий (žóstkij) — difficult to chew
• Scottish Gaelic: righinn — difficult to chew
• Swedish: seg — difficult to chew
• Turkish: sert — difficult to chew
• Vietnamese: khó nhai — difficult to chew
• Vietnamese: dai — difficult to chew
• Basque: gogor — rugged or physically hardy
• Bulgarian: устойчив (ustojčiv) — rugged or physically hardy
• Finnish: sitkeä — rugged or physically hardy
• Friulian: dûr — rugged or physically hardy
• Georgian: გამძლე (gamʒle) — rugged or physically hardy
• German: widerstandsfähig — rugged or physically hardy
• Greek: σκληρός (sklirós) — rugged or physically hardy
• Greek: τραχύς (trachýs) — rugged or physically hardy
• Hindi: सख़्त (saxt) — rugged or physically hardy
• Hindi: सख्त (sakht) — rugged or physically hardy
• Italian: duro — rugged or physically hardy
• Italian: resistente — rugged or physically hardy
• Khmer: មាំ (mŏəm) — rugged or physically hardy
• Māori: pūioio — rugged or physically hardy
• Pashto: کلک (klak) — rugged or physically hardy
• Pashto: سخت (saxt) — rugged or physically hardy
• Plautdietsch: toag — rugged or physically hardy
• Polish: wytrzymały — rugged or physically hardy
• Polish: odporny — rugged or physically hardy
• Portuguese: resistente — rugged or physically hardy
• Scottish Gaelic: fulangach — rugged or physically hardy
• Scottish Gaelic: tapaidh — rugged or physically hardy
• Spanish: recio — rugged or physically hardy
• Swedish: tålig — rugged or physically hardy
• Vietnamese: dẻo dai — rugged or physically hardy
• Vietnamese: mạnh mẽ — rugged or physically hardy
• Bulgarian: труден (truden) — harsh or severe
• Chinese Mandarin: 艱苦 /艰苦 (jiānkǔ) — harsh or severe
• Finnish: ankara — harsh or severe
• Galician: duro — harsh or severe
• Georgian: მკაცრი (mḳacri) — harsh or severe
• Japanese: 辛い (tsurai) — harsh or severe
• Japanese: たいへん (taihen) — harsh or severe
• Japanese: きつい (kitsui) — harsh or severe
• Khmer: ប្រិត (prət) — harsh or severe
• Māori: taikaha — harsh or severe
• Portuguese: severo — harsh or severe
• Russian: тяжёлый (tjažólyj) — harsh or severe
• Russian: тру́дный (trúdnyj) — harsh or severe
• Russian: тя́жкий (tjážkij) — harsh or severe
• Swedish: svår — harsh or severe
• Vietnamese: khắc nghiệt — harsh or severe
• Finnish: kova — rowdy or rough
• Georgian: უხეში (uxeši) — rowdy or rough
• Georgian: ხულიგანი (xuligani) — rowdy or rough
• Greek: σκληρός (sklirós) — rowdy or rough
• Khmer: កំណាច (kɑmnaac) — rowdy or rough
• Portuguese: durão — rowdy or rough
• Swedish: tuff — rowdy or rough
• Vietnamese: du côn — rowdy or rough
• Bulgarian: труден (truden) — difficult or demanding
• Finnish: hankala — difficult or demanding
• Finnish: vaativa — difficult or demanding
• French: dur — difficult or demanding
• Galician: difícil — difficult or demanding
• German: knifflig — difficult or demanding
• German: schwierig — difficult or demanding
• Khmer: ពិបាក (pibaak) — difficult or demanding
• Pashto: ګران (grân) — difficult or demanding
• Portuguese: difícil — difficult or demanding
• Spanish: de mano dura — difficult or demanding
• Spanish: tetelque — difficult or demanding
• Spanish: tranca — difficult or demanding
• Swedish: tuff — difficult or demanding
• Swedish: svår — difficult or demanding
• Vietnamese: khó — difficult or demanding
• Vietnamese: ngoan cố — difficult or demanding
• Finnish: sitkeä — material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking
• Georgian: მტკიცე (mṭḳice) — material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking
• German: zäh — material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking
• Russian: про́чный (próčnyj) — material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking
• Swedish: seg — material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking
• Vietnamese: dẻo — material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking
• Vietnamese: bền — material science: undergoing plastic deformation before breaking
• Dutch: jammer — lack of sympathy
• Finnish: harmi — lack of sympathy
• German: Pech — lack of sympathy
• German: Pech gehabt — lack of sympathy
• Spanish: ni modo — lack of sympathy
• Swedish: trist för dig — lack of sympathy
• Greek: σκληρός (sklirós) — one who obtains things by force
• Portuguese: valentão — one who obtains things by force
• Yiddish: שטאַרקער (shtarker) — one who obtains things by force