Challenging vs. Tough — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Challenging and Tough
ADVERTISEMENT
Compare with Definitions
Challenging
Requiring the full application of one's abilities, attention, or resources
A challenging role for an inexperienced performer.
A challenging homework assignment.
Tough
(of a substance or object) strong enough to withstand adverse conditions or rough handling
Tough rucksacks for climbers
Challenging
Present participle of challenge
Tough
Able to endure hardship or pain
She was as tough as old boots
Challenging
Difficult, hard to do.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tough
Demonstrating a strict and uncompromising approach
Police have been getting tough with drivers
Tough new laws on tobacco advertising
Challenging
The act of making a challenge.
Tough
Strong and prone to violence
Tough young teenagers
Challenging
Requiring full use of one's abilities or resources; as, challenging task.
Tough
A rough and violent man
A gang of toughs
Challenging
Disposed to or engaged in defiance of established authority.
Tough
Endure a period of hardship or difficulty.
Challenging
Requiring full use of your abilities or resources;
Ambitious schedule
Performed the most challenging task without a mistake
Tough
Able to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking; strong and resilient
A tough all-weather fabric.
Challenging
Stimulating interest or thought;
A challenging hypothesis
A thought-provoking book
Tough
Hard to cut or chew
Tough meat.
Challenging
Disturbingly provocative;
An intriguing smile
Tough
Physically hardy; rugged
Tough mountaineers.
A tough cop.
Tough
Strong-minded; resolute
A tough negotiator.
Tough
Aggressive; pugnacious.
Tough
Inclined to violent or disruptive behavior; rowdy or rough
A tough street group.
Tough
Difficult to endure; severe; harsh
A tough winter.
Tough
Trying or unpleasant
Had a tough day.
Tough
Difficult to deal with; demanding or troubling
It's tough to go to school and work a full-time job. The exam had many tough questions.
Tough
(Informal) Unfortunate; too bad
It was a tough break to get sick on the day of the concert.
Tough
(Slang) Fine; great.
Tough
A violent or rowdy person; a hoodlum or thug.
Tough
(of a material) Strong and resilient; sturdy.
The tent, made of tough canvas, held up to many abuses.
Tough
(of food) Difficult to cut or chew.
To soften a tough cut of meat, the recipe suggested simmering it for hours.
Tough
(of a person or animal) Rugged or physically hardy.
Only a tough species will survive in the desert.
Tough
(of a person) Stubborn or persistent; capable of stubbornness or persistence.
He had a reputation as a tough negotiator.
Tough
(of weather, etc.) Harsh or severe.
Tough
Rowdy or rough.
A bunch of the tough boys from the wrong side of the tracks threatened him.
Tough
(of questions, etc.) Difficult or demanding.
This is a tough crowd.
Tough
(material science) Undergoing plastic deformation before breaking.
Tough
(slang) Used to indicate lack of sympathy
If you don't like it, tough!
Tough
A person who obtains things by force; a thug or bully.
They were doing fine until they encountered a bunch of toughs from the opposition.
Tough
To endure.
Tough
To toughen.
Tough
Having the quality of flexibility without brittleness; yielding to force without breaking; capable of resisting great strain; as, the ligaments of animals are remarkably tough.
Tough
Not easily broken; able to endure hardship; firm; strong; - of objects and people; as, tough sinews.
A body made of brass, the crone demands, . . . Tough to the last, and with no toil to tire.
The basis of his character was caution combined with tough tenacity of purpose.
Tough
Not easily separated; viscous; clammy; tenacious; as, tough phlegm.
Tough
Stiff; rigid; not flexible; stubborn; as, a tough bow.
So tough a frame she could not bend.
Tough
Severe; violent; as, a tough storm.
Tough
Difficult to do, perform, or accomplish; as, a tough job.
Tough
Prone to aggressive or violent behavior; rowdyish; - of people, or groups; as, a tough neighborhood; a tough character.
Tough
A person who is tough{7}; a ruffian; a thug; as, a cluster of neighborhood toughs hanging out on the corner.
Tough
Someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing
Tough
An aggressive and violent young criminal
Tough
A cruel and brutal fellow
Tough
Not given to gentleness or sentimentality;
A tough character
Tough
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
Tough
Physically toughened;
The tough bottoms of his feet
Tough
Substantially made or constructed;
Sturdy steel shelves
Sturdy canvas
A tough all-weather fabric
Some plastics are as tough as metal
Tough
Violent and lawless;
The more ruffianly element
Tough street gangs
Tough
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
Tough to cut or chew
Tough
Unfortunate or hard to bear;
Had hard luck
A tough break
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Swob vs. SwopNext Comparison
Bludgeon vs. Cudgel