98
hard(adjective, person, dull, mean, body)
61
difficult(adjective, dull, hard, great, easy)
55
severe(adjective, clear, bad, strong, hard)
51
rugged(adjective, action, strong, hard, sound)
50
rough(noun, adjective, action, person, mean)
46
strong(adjective, calm, person, body, strong)
44
arduous(adjective, dull, hard, great, easy)
41
laborious(adjective, dull, hard, great, easy)
40
burdensome(adjective, dull, hard, difficult, harsh)
39
harsh(adjective, mean, strong, hard, cool)
38
stubborn(adjective, characteristic, quality, mean, strong)
38
stressful(adjective, hard, difficult, complex)
35
ruffian(noun, person, mean, bad, attack)
34
knotty(adjective, hard, difficult, complex, troublesome)
34
sticky(adjective, feature, characteristic, hard, difficult)
34
taxing(adjective, hard, severe, rough, difficult)
34
toilsome(adjective, hard, difficulty, difficult, complex)
33
hard-nosed(adjective, mean, clear, strong, hard)
33
unyielding(adjective, characteristic, mean, clear, strong)
33
trying(adjective, dull, hard, rough, difficult)
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APASmart Define. (2016). tough thesaurus. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/tough/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2016. "tough thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/tough/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 22, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2016, tough thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/tough/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "tough thesaurus" 30 March 2016. Web. 22 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/tough/thesaurus/synonyms>