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Tough vs Brittle - What's the difference?

tough | brittle |

As adjectives the difference between tough and brittle

is that tough is strong and resilient; sturdy while brittle is inflexible, liable to break or snap easily under stress or pressure.

As nouns the difference between tough and brittle

is that tough is a person who obtains things by force; a thug or bully while brittle is a confection of caramelized sugar and nuts.

As an interjection tough

is Used to indicate lack of sympathy

As a verb tough

is to endure.

tough

English

Adjective

(er)
  • Strong and resilient; sturdy.
    • The tent, made of tough canvas, held up to many abuses.
  • (of food) Difficult to cut or chew.
    • To soften a tough cut of meat, the recipe suggested simmering it for hours.
  • Rugged or physically hardy.
    • Only a tough species will survive in the desert.
  • Stubborn.
    • He had a reputation as a tough negotiator.
  • (of weather etc) Harsh or severe.
  • Rowdy or rough.
    • A bunch of the tough boys from the wrong side of the tracks threatened him.
  • Difficult or demanding.
    • This is a tough crowd.
  • (material science) Undergoing plastic deformation before breaking.

    • Derived terms

    * do it tough * hang tough * supertough * tough call * tough case * tough cookie * tough crowd * tough love * tough luck * tough-minded * tough nut to crack * tough row to hoe * tough shit * tough titty * tough toodles * tough tuchus * toughen * toughie * toughish * toughly * toughness * toughy * ultratough *

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • (slang) (Used to indicate lack of sympathy)
    • If you don't like it, tough !

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A person who obtains things by force; a thug or bully.
    • They were doing fine until they encountered a bunch of toughs from the opposition.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To endure.
  • To toughen.

    • Derived terms

    * tough it out * tough out

    Anagrams

    * ----

    brittle

    English

    (wikipedia brittle)

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Inflexible, liable to break or snap easily under stress or pressure.
    • Cast iron is much more brittle than forged iron.
    A diamond is hard but brittle .
  • * 1977 , , Penguin Classics, p. 329:
    • 'Do you suppose our convent, and I too, / Are insufficient, then, to pray for you? / Thomas, that joke's not good. Your faith is brittle .
  • Not physically tough or tenacious; apt to break or crumble when bending.
  • * Shortbread'' is my favorite cold pastry, yet being so brittle it crumbles easily, and a lot goes to waste.
  • (archaeology) Said of rocks and minerals with a conchoidal fracture; capable of being knapped or flaked.
  • Emotionally fragile, easily offended.
    • What a brittle personality! A little misunderstanding and he's an emotional wreck.
  • (informal, proscribed) Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Merck manual Diabetes that is characterized by dramatic swings in blood sugar level.

    • Related terms

    * brittleness

    Noun

  • (uncountable) A confection of caramelized sugar and nuts.
    • As a child, my favorite candy was peanut brittle .
  • (uncountable) Anything resembling this confection, such as flapjack, a cereal bar, etc.

    • Synonyms

    * brickle

    See also

    * break, breakable * short (adjective)

    References

    *

    Anagrams

    *