tough

not given to gentleness or sentimentality

• “a tough character”

very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution

• “a rugged competitive examination”
• “the rugged conditions of frontier life”
• “the competition was tough”
• “it”
• “;”

physically toughened

• “the tough bottoms of his feet”

substantially made or constructed

• “sturdy steel shelves”
• “sturdy canvas”
• “a tough all-weather fabric”
• “some plastics are as tough as metal”

violent and lawless

• “the more ruffianly element”
• “tough street gangs”

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”

tough to cut or chew

unfortunate or hard to bear

• “had hard luck”
• “a tough break”

someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing

an aggressive and violent young criminal

a cruel and brutal fellow