tough

difficile, dur

Qui n’est pas facile à faire, à comprendre ou à gérer.

En anglais simple : Difficult to do, understand, or deal with.

• That is a tough question.
• We had to make some tough decisions.
• Finding work proved tougher than she expected.

Comment l'utiliser : tough to do something (This question is tough to answer.)

Synonymes : difficult, hard, demanding

Contraires : easy

Expressions courantes : tough decision, tough question, tough job

strict, ferme

Qui reste strict et ferme, sans vouloir changer ni accepter d’exceptions.

En anglais simple : Firm and strict, and unwilling to change or allow exceptions.

• The school has tough rules.
• She takes a tough stance on cheating.
• The new manager is tougher on late arrivals.

Comment l'utiliser : tough on someone/something (The school is tough on bullying.)

Synonymes : strict, firm, uncompromising

Contraires : lenient

Expressions courantes : tough stance, tough rules, tough on crime

costaud, dur

Physiquement fort et capable d’affronter la douleur ou les bagarres sans peur.

En anglais simple : Physically strong and able to face pain or fights without fear.

• My brother is a tough guy.
• She is tougher than she looks.
• The fighters were tough, but they treated us kindly.

Synonymes : strong, hardy

Contraires : weak

Expressions courantes : tough guy, tough fighter, tough person

dur, pénible

Qui est pénible à vivre parce que cela cause de la douleur, des soucis ou des difficultés.

En anglais simple : Unpleasant to experience because it causes pain, worry, or hardship.

• Life was tough after the factory closed.
• They faced a tough winter without heating.
• The judge gave him a tough prison sentence.

Synonymes : harsh, hard

Contraires : gentle

Expressions courantes : tough life, tough punishment, tough treatment

résistant, solide

Qui résiste aux dommages, à la casse et à l’usure.

En anglais simple : Strong enough to resist damage, breaking, or wearing out.

• These boots are made of tough leather.
• We need a tough fabric for the tent.
• The plastic is tough enough to survive a fall.

Synonymes : strong, durable, sturdy

Contraires : fragile

Expressions courantes : tough leather, tough material, tough fabric

dur, coriace

Se dit d’un aliment difficile à couper ou à mâcher.

En anglais simple : Food that is difficult to cut or chew.

• The meat is tough.
• My steak was too tough to eat.
• Cooking it slowly can make a tough cut softer.

Synonymes : chewy

Contraires : tender

Expressions courantes : tough meat, tough steak, tough beef

tenir bon, endurer

Continuer malgré les difficultés, sans abandonner.

En anglais simple : To continue through something difficult without giving up.

• We can tough it out.
• She toughed out the pain until help arrived.
• Will you tough it out through another winter?

Comment l'utiliser : tough something out (We decided to tough out the last difficult week.)

Synonymes : endure, stick it out

Contraires : give up

Expressions courantes : tough it out, tough something out

tant pis

Se dit pour montrer qu’on ne se soucie pas du problème ou de la plainte de quelqu’un.

En anglais simple : Said to show that you do not care about someone’s problem or complaint.

• You missed your turn? Tough!
• If you do not like the rules, tough!
• You wanted a bigger room? Well, tough!

Synonymes : too bad

Expressions courantes : well tough, tough luck