Toughy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Resilient or strong in character, often able to endure difficult situations or challenges
2. a person who displays tenacity and is hard to defeat or overcome
3. embodying a hard exterior while possibly harboring deeper vulnerabilities within

Etymology: The word "toughy" is simply the English adjective "tough" with the diminutive or familiar ending "-y" added, so it names a tough person, someone who can take hardship and keep going. The same suffix turns "dog" into "doggy" and "cow" into "cowy" in older usage, giving a casual, affectionate or slightly teasing tone to the base word. The base "tough" is a very old English word. It descends from Old English "tōh", meaning tenacious or hard to break, and it has been used in English for well over a thousand years, long before any familiar forms were attached to it. The variant "toughie" follows the same pattern with a different ending, and both forms are used for a person who endures. Because the ending is so informal, the noun sits comfortably in everyday speech, often in a sympathetic or admiring way.

Synonyms: tough guy, hardy person, strong person, tough cookie, fighter

Antonyms: weakling, softie