21
stony(adjective, mean, hard, cool, severe)
21
callous(noun, adjective, mean, hard, cool)
21
stern(adjective, hard, easy, severe, rough)
21
stodgy(adjective, hard, difficult, complex)
21
viscous(adjective, feature, characteristic, structure, sticky)
20
adamant(adjective, mean, strong, hard, rough)
20
hardy(adjective, person, quality, body, strong)
20
indestructible(adjective, firm, rigid, unyielding, steely)
20
nasty(adjective, mean, bad, hard, cool)
20
obdurate(adjective, mean, strong, hard, cool)
20
ambitious(adjective, hard, difficult, complex)
20
involved(adjective, hard, difficult, complex)
20
massive(adjective, person, body, hard, difficult)
20
rock-hard(adjective, firm, rigid, unyielding, steely)
20
rowdy(noun, adjective, person, mean, attack)
19
byzantine(adjective, hard, difficult, complex)
19
disturbing(adjective, hard, severe, difficult, awful)
19
grave(adjective, hard, severe, difficult, harsh)
19
grinding(adjective, hard, difficult, complex)
19
hard to understand(expression, adjective, idiom, hard, difficult)
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APASmart Define. (2016). tough thesaurus. Retrieved September 25, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/tough/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2016. "tough thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/tough/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 25, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2016, tough thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 25 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/tough/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "tough thesaurus" 30 March 2016. Web. 25 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/tough/thesaurus/synonyms>