Toughness

How to spell toughness

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce toughness

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does toughness mean?

1. nounThe quality of being strong and durable, or of being able to endure hardship without giving in.

Toughness in a sentence

• The climbing rope is tested for toughness before every expedition.

• Her mental toughness helped her finish the marathon despite the injury.

Where does toughness come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word is built on the adjective 'tough', which descends from the Old English 'toh', meaning strong, firm, and not easily torn or broken. The abstract noun was formed by adding the native suffix '-ness', which English has used since its earliest days to turn an adjective into the name of a quality, exactly as 'darkness' grows from 'dark'. The spelling trap lives entirely in the root: the 'ough' cluster is a relic of an old guttural sound, once pronounced roughly like the 'ch' in Scottish 'loch', that English later softened to an 'f' sound while keeping the antique spelling frozen in place. This is why 'tough' sounds like 'tuff' yet keeps its silent, history-laden letters, and that mismatch is the heart of the difficulty. The sense has broadened over time from sheer physical durability to mental and emotional resilience, so toughness can describe a steak, a fabric, or a person's character.

How the word is built

• tough (from Old English toh: strong, not easily broken)
• -ness (noun suffix forming a quality or state)