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Glite Dictionary
💪 A tough person 🧩 A hard task
tuffy

tuffy

8.9
A person who stays strong and keeps going in hard times
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : fuerte
  • Everyone called him tuffy because he always perseveres through difficulties.

Examples

  • Now don't get sentimental, tuffy.

    The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

  • After overcoming adversity, she proudly accepted the nickname tuffy from her friends.

  • Known for her determination, she quickly became known as a tuffy in her field.

Synonyms

tough
vstuffy
5 7.5

A person who is strong and may threaten or hurt others

is an informal nickname stressing resilience and ability to handle hard situations
toughie
vstuffy
  • Informal
4 7.6

A person, question, or thing that is very difficult to deal with

is an informal personal nickname highlighting resilience rather than difficulty

Antonyms

coward
  • Offensive
584 2.3

A person who is too afraid to face danger or hard things

weakling
  • Offensive
24 4.4

A person who has little body strength and gets tired easily

How Tough

sturdy
76 2.1
tuffy
  • Informal
8.9
resilient
66 5.4
delicate
188 3.8

Surface Forms

tuffy singular
tuffies plural

Morphology

tuffy = tough (transparent) = tough + y

This is a straightforward informal noun formation from 'tough' with the suffix '-y', meaning a person characterized by toughness.

Etymology

Tuffy comes from the common English word tough, which means 'strong' or 'does not give up', plus the ending -y that turns it into a friendly nickname. So a tuffy is a person who is hard to beat and can handle difficult situations.