tough love

noun

: love or affectionate concern expressed in a stern or unsentimental manner (as through discipline) especially to promote responsible behavior

Examples of tough love in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is back in the kitchen and dealing out tough love to restaurant owners, this time just a short distance from Pittsburgh. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 The new YouTube Original series will see Chip set up an advice booth outside Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, Texas, and offer guidance and a little bit of tough love to passersby. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026 If Emanuel is the family member dishing out tough love, Khanna is the distant cousin nobody remembers inviting, who forces his way into every photo. — Aaron Kaplowitz, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026 He was known for pushing players to succeed on and off the field with discipline and tough love. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tough love

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tough love was in 1968

Rhymes for tough love

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Browse Nearby Words

toughish
tough love
tough luck
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tough love.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tough%20love. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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