51Թ

Advertisement

Advertisement

tough love

noun

  1. a mixture of toughness and warmth used in a relationship, especially with an adolescent.


tough love

noun

  1. the practice of taking a stern attitude towards a relative or friend suffering from an addiction, etc, to help the addict overcome the problem
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

51Թ History and Origins

Origin of tough love1

First recorded in 1977; after Toughlove, a network of support groups
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

This past week Trump’s army of talking heads and Twitter commandos has pushed his “no pain, no gain” theory like it was the Sermon on the Mount, all while insisting this was the economic tough love America needed.

From

Watts takes a moment to collect herself after remembering her mom’s words, delivered with tough love.

From

To the women, he offers support; to the men tough love.

From

Baba omitted the truth to protect his sons — their bewilderment also meant plausible deniability — and Lucky Auntie’s tough love shields the boys from any real fallout.

From

They would have been all smiles before the television cameras, but then in private, would have administered to Zelenskyy some very tough love, all the while remaining respectful.

From

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement