tough love

noun

a mixture of toughness and warmth used in a relationship, especially with an adolescent.

tough love

noun

the practice of taking a stern attitude towards a relative or friend suffering from an addiction, etc, to help the addict overcome the problem

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Word History and Origins

Origin of tough love¹

First recorded in 1977; after Toughlove, a network of support groups

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The 50-year-old's refusal to embrace tough love and simply embrace was rewarded with a 3-0 victory inspired by the brilliance of Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr, but which was also a pitch-perfect team display from back to front.

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This past week Trump’s army of talking heads and Twitter commandos has pushed his “no pain, no gain” theory like it was the Sermon on the Mount, all while insisting this was the economic tough love America needed.

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Watts takes a moment to collect herself after remembering her mom’s words, delivered with tough love.

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To the women, he offers support; to the men tough love.

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Baba omitted the truth to protect his sons — their bewilderment also meant plausible deniability — and Lucky Auntie’s tough love shields the boys from any real fallout.

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tough it out tough-minded

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