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tough vs tough guy

tough guy vs tough

tough and tough guy both are nouns.

tough is an adjective but tough guy is not an adjective.

Word NounAdjectiveVerbAdverb
tough Yes Yes No No
tough guy Yes No No No
As nouns, tough guy is a hyponym of tough; that is, tough guy is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than tough:
  • tough: a cruel and brutal fellow
  • tough guy: someone who bullies weaker people
Other hyponyms of tough include bullyboy, muscle, muscleman, skin, skinhead, plug-ugly.
tough (noun) tough guy (noun)
an aggressive and violent young criminal someone who bullies weaker people
a cruel and brutal fellow
someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing
tough (adjective) tough guy (adjective)
resistant to cutting or chewing
physically toughened
not given to gentleness or sentimentality
unfortunate or hard to bear
substantially made or constructed
feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad')
violent and lawless
very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution
making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
Difference between tough and tough guy

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