Simple vs. Tough — What's the Difference?

Easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty

(of a substance or object) strong enough to withstand adverse conditions or rough handling

Plain, basic, or uncomplicated in form, nature, or design; without much decoration or ornamentation

Able to endure hardship or pain

Composed of a single element; not compound.

Demonstrating a strict and uncompromising approach

Of very low intelligence.

Strong and prone to violence

A medicinal herb, or a medicine made from one

A rough and violent man

Used to convey that something is very straightforward

Endure a period of hardship or difficulty.

Having few parts or features; not complicated or elaborate

Able to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking; strong and resilient

Easy to understand, do, or carry out

Hard to cut or chew

Having or composed of only one thing, element, or part

Physically hardy; rugged

Being without additions or modifications; mere

Strong-minded; resolute

(Biology) Having no divisions or branches; not compound

Aggressive; pugnacious.

(Music) Being without figuration or elaboration

Inclined to violent or disruptive behavior; rowdy or rough

Having little or no ornamentation; not embellished or adorned

Difficult to endure; severe; harsh

Not characterized by luxury or elaborate commitments

Trying or unpleasant

Not pretentious, guileful, or deceitful; humble or sincere

Difficult to deal with; demanding or troubling

Having or showing little intelligence, education, or experience

(Informal) Unfortunate; too bad

Lowly in condition or rank

(Slang) Fine; great.

A medicinal plant or the medicine obtained from it.

A violent or rowdy person; a hoodlum or thug.

Uncomplicated; taken by itself, with nothing added.

(of a material) Strong and resilient; sturdy.

Without ornamentation; plain.

(of food) Difficult to cut or chew.

Free from duplicity; guileless, innocent, straightforward.

(of a person or animal) Rugged or physically hardy.

Undistinguished in social condition; of no special rank.

(of a person) Stubborn or persistent; capable of stubbornness or persistence.

Trivial; insignificant.

(of weather, etc.) Harsh or severe.

Feeble-minded; foolish.

Rowdy or rough.

Structurally uncomplicated.

(of questions, etc.) Difficult or demanding.

Consisting of one single substance; uncompounded.

(material science) Undergoing plastic deformation before breaking.

(mathematics) Of a group: having no normal subgroup.

(slang) Used to indicate lack of sympathy

(botany) Not compound, but possibly lobed.

A person who obtains things by force; a thug or bully.

Using steam only once in its cylinders, in contrast to a compound engine, where steam is used more than once in high-pressure and low-pressure cylinders.

To endure.

(zoology) Consisting of a single individual or zooid; not compound.

To toughen.

(mineralogy) Homogenous.

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.

(obsolete) Mere; not other than; being only.

Not easily broken; able to endure hardship; firm; strong; - of objects and people; as, tough sinews.

(pharmaceutical drug) A herbal preparation made from one plant, as opposed to something made from more than one plant.

Not easily separated; viscous; clammy; tenacious; as, tough phlegm.

A physician.

Stiff; rigid; not flexible; stubborn; as, a tough bow.

(logic) A simple or atomic proposition.

Severe; violent; as, a tough storm.

(obsolete) Something not mixed or compounded.

Difficult to do, perform, or accomplish; as, a tough job.

(weaving) A drawloom.

Prone to aggressive or violent behavior; rowdyish; - of people, or groups; as, a tough neighborhood; a tough character.

(weaving) Part of the apparatus for raising the heddles of a drawloom.

A person who is tough{7}; a ruffian; a thug; as, a cluster of neighborhood toughs hanging out on the corner.

(Roman Catholicism) A feast which is not a double or a semidouble.

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

To gather simples, i.e. medicinal herbs.

An aggressive and violent young criminal

Single; not complex; not infolded or entangled; uncombined; not compounded; not blended with something else; not complicated; as, a simple substance; a simple idea; a simple sound; a simple machine; a simple problem; simple tasks.

A cruel and brutal fellow

Plain; unadorned; as, simple dress.

Not given to gentleness or sentimentality;

Mere; not other than; being only.

Very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution;

Not given to artifice, stratagem, or duplicity; undesigning; sincere; true.

Physically toughened;

Artless in manner; unaffected; unconstrained; natural; inartificial;; straightforward.

Substantially made or constructed;

Direct; clear; intelligible; not abstruse or enigmatical; as, a simple statement; simple language.

Violent and lawless;

Weak in intellect; not wise or sagacious; of but moderate understanding or attainments; hence, foolish; silly.

Feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad');

Not luxurious; without much variety; plain; as, a simple diet; a simple way of living.

Tough to cut or chew

Humble; lowly; undistinguished.

Unfortunate or hard to bear;

Without subdivisions; entire; as, a simple stem; a simple leaf.

Homogenous.

Consisting of a single individual or zooid; as, a simple ascidian; - opposed to compound.

Something not mixed or compounded.

A medicinal plant; - so called because each vegetable was supposed to possess its particular virtue, and therefore to constitute a simple remedy.

A drawloom.

A feast which is not a double or a semidouble.

To gather simples, or medicinal plants.

Any herbaceous plant having medicinal properties

A person lacking intelligence or common sense

Having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved;

Easy and not involved or complicated;

Apart from anything else; without additions or modifications;

Exhibiting childlike simplicity and credulity;

Lacking mental capacity and devoid of subtlety

(botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisions

Not elaborate in style; unornamented;