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not given to gentleness or sentimentality;
\\\"a tough character\\\"
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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\\\"
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physically toughened;
\\\"the tough bottoms of his feet\\\"
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substantially made or constructed;
\\\"sturdy steel shelves\\\"
\\\"sturdy canvas\\\"
\\\"a tough all-weather fabric\\\"
\\\"some plastics are as tough as metal\\\"
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violent and lawless;
\\\"the more ruffianly element\\\"
\\\"tough street gangs\\\"
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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\\\"
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resistant to cutting or chewing
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unfortunate or hard to bear;
\\\"had hard luck\\\"
\\\"a tough break\\\"
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making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe;
\\\"a baffling problem\\\"
\\\"I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast\\\"
\\\"a problematic situation at home\\\"