tough-minded

adjective

tough-mind·​ed ˈtəf-ˌmīn-dəd 

: realistic or unsentimental in temper or outlook

tough-minded survivors

tough-mindedness noun

Examples of tough-minded in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are no Cooper Flagg’s on St. John’s, but there are all these tough-minded and talented players so much fun to watch, RJ Luis Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor and Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith, who powered through the Big East Tournament with a shoulder injury. —Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025

Incoming players must fit his culture, be tough-minded and play with maximum effort and a fierce play demeanor. —Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2025

James is quite tough-minded about the limits of radical chic. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025

The Friday night announcement was criticized by some journalists as a way to score political points and penalize tough-minded news outlets. —Brian Stelter, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025

Johnson is viewed as innovative, creative and somewhat tough-minded in his coaching style. —Steve Silverman, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

The Heat are always a tough-minded unit and it's reflected in their performance. —David Faris, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024

This approach is not new; it could also be called tough-minded diplomacy. —Dan Caldwell, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2024

There’s a radical, tough-minded generosity here that punches right through the wall of our moment’s hypersensitivity around appropriation. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tough-minded

• rescinded
• winded