What does toughen mean?
Toughen means to make something tough, strong, or better able to withstand wear, pressure, or difficulty. It can also be used intransitively, describing a person, material, or institution that becomes more resilient over time. The word is especially common when referring to materials, such as leather, metal, or plastics, and figuratively when discussing resolve, leadership, or personal character. Saying that experience has toughened someone generally emphasizes increased endurance rather than emotional numbness, although the intended meaning depends on context. “Toughen up” is a familiar expression used when someone is being urged to become more resilient, prepare for difficulty, or stop being overly sensitive. The word is useful because it captures both deliberate strengthening and the gradual process of developing resistance. In a sentence, it gives the impression that difficulty has produced a tougher, more capable result, rather than merely an unchanged response to hardship.
verbTo make something tough, strong, or resistant to wear or damage; also, to become tough or resilient.
- To make something tough, strong, or resistant to wear or damage.
- To become tough, strong, or resilient.
- To make someone mentally or emotionally more determined and less easily discouraged.
"Years of difficult work toughened her resolve."
"The new treatment toughens the leather without changing its color."
"The experience toughened the young team before the competition."
Toughen can harden a material—or a person—turning resilience into something deliberately built.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does toughen come from?
Toughen is an English formation built on tough and the verbal suffix -en. Its base, tough, comes through Middle English from Old English tōh, with senses associated with hardness and difficulty. The verb developed in early modern English, originally referring chiefly to making something hard or resistant and later also to becoming tough. Related forms such as toughly, toughness, and toughie belong to the same word family and reflect the long-standing English use of tough in expressions of physical hardness, severity, and resilience.
Related word forms
How toughen is actually used
The verb can be transitive, taking the thing being strengthened, or intransitive, describing the subject as becoming tough or resilient. It is neutral in register, although the expression “toughen up” is informal and can sound challenging or unsympathetic depending on context.
Easily confused with toughen
Toughen means to make or become tough, whereas roughen means to make or become rough in texture.