What's the difference between difficult and tough?

Difficult


Definition:

  • (a.) Hard to do or to make; beset with difficulty; attended with labor, trouble, or pains; not easy; arduous.
  • (a.) Hard to manage or to please; not easily wrought upon; austere; stubborn; as, a difficult person.
  • (v. t.) To render difficult; to impede; to perplex.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Virtually every developed country has some form of property tax, so the idea that valuing residential property is uniquely difficult, or that it would be widely evaded, is nonsense.
  • (2) Although solely nociresponsive neurons are clearly likely to fill a role in the processing and signalling of pain in the conscious central nervous system, the way in which such useful specificity could be conveyed by multireceptive neurons is difficult to appreciate.
  • (3) In practice, however, the necessary dosage is difficult to predict.
  • (4) Cor triatriatum (CT) is a rare congenital defect, surgically correctable, and sometimes difficult to diagnose by cardiac catheterization.
  • (5) By drawing from the pathophysiology, this article discusses a multidimensional approach to the treatment of these difficult patients.
  • (6) Past imaging techniques shown in the courtroom have made the conventional rules of evidence more difficult because of the different informational content and format required for presentation of these data.
  • (7) The way we are going to pay for that is by making the rules the same for people who go into care homes as for people who get care at their home, and by means-testing the winter fuel payment, which currently isn’t.” Hunt said the plan showed the Conservatives were capable of making difficult choices.
  • (8) In many cases, physicians seek to protect themselves from involvement with these difficult, highly anxious patients by making a referral to a psychiatrist.
  • (9) The diagnosis of variant- or Prizmetal-angina is difficult because if insufficient specificity of the tests.
  • (10) The detection of these antibodies is difficult owing to the lack of standardization and of specificity of the laboratory tests.
  • (11) It was so difficult to keep a straight face when I was filming a sauna scene with Roy Barraclough, who played the mayor of Blackpool.
  • (12) That is, he believes, to look at massively difficult, interlocking problems through too narrow a lens.
  • (13) Conversion of the active-site thiol to thiocyanate makes it more difficult to inactivate the enzyme by treatment with Cd2+.
  • (14) If they end up going to another club that is difficult to take.
  • (15) Cigarette consumption has also been greater in urban areas, but it is difficult to estimate how much of the excess it can account for.
  • (16) The most difficult thing I've dealt with at work is ... the terminal illness of a valued colleague.
  • (17) In that respect, it's difficult to see Allen's anthem as little more than same old same old, and it's probably why I ultimately feel she misses the mark.
  • (18) This hypothesis is difficult to substantiate with direct measurements using human subjects.
  • (19) Extrapolation of gestational age from early crown-rump lengths (CRLs) has been difficult because previously established tables of CRL versus gestational age have contained few measurements at less than seven to eight weeks from the first day of the last menses.
  • (20) Companies had made investments in certain energy sources, the president said, so change could be “uncomfortable and difficult”.

Tough


Definition:

  • (superl.) Having the quality of flexibility without brittleness; yielding to force without breaking; capable of resisting great strain; as, the ligaments of animals are remarkably tough.
  • (superl.) Not easily broken; able to endure hardship; firm; strong; as, tough sinews.
  • (superl.) Not easily separated; viscous; clammy; tenacious; as, tough phlegm.
  • (superl.) Stiff; rigid; not flexible; stubborn; as, a tough bow.
  • (superl.) Severe; violent; as, a tough storm.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Photograph: Guardian The research also compiled data covered by a wider definition of tax haven, including onshore jurisdictions such as the US state of Delaware – accused by the Cayman islands of playing "faster and looser" even than offshore jurisdictions – and the Republic of Ireland, which has come under sustained pressure from other EU states to reform its own low-tax, light-tough, regulatory environment.
  • (2) Nick Robins, head of the Climate Change Centre at HSBC, said: "If you think about low-carbon energy only in terms of carbon, then things look tough [in terms of not using coal].
  • (3) A series of hierarchical multiple regressions revealed the effects of Surgency, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Intellect on evoking upset in spouses through condescension (e.g., treating spouse as stupid or inferior), possessiveness (demanding too much time and attention), abuse (slapping spouse), unfaithfulness (having sex with others), inconsiderateness (leaving toilet seat up), moodiness (crying a lot), alcohol abuse (drinking too much alcohol), emotional constriction (hiding emotions to act tough), and self-centeredness (acting selfishly).
  • (4) A lfred Ekpenyong knows first hand how tough it can be to find a secure foothold in mainstream society after leaving prison.
  • (5) The texture of a food item can be distinguished in hardness, toughness, stickiness, juiciness and chewability.
  • (6) Even as the Obama administration moves to deal with some of Guantánamo's most notorious captives, it faces tough challenges to closing the facility.
  • (7) "It's a tough group but other groups are also tough.
  • (8) This allowed it to claim that it was becoming more professional, tough minded and responsible.
  • (9) The austerity programmes administered by western governments in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis were, of course, intended as a remedy, a tough but necessary course of treatment to relieve the symptoms of debts and deficits and to cure recession.
  • (10) And he pleased the audience with an acknowledgement that social work is a tough job and social workers only human.
  • (11) Trade unions have sought to highlight the insecurity of workers who have been forced into self-employment in the tough jobs market of recent years.
  • (12) UK negotiatiors, though, fought back hard -- thus Cameron's fighting talk in his press conference ( see 12.46pm ) 12.49pm BST Open Europe tweets Cameron's tough talk on the rebate: Open Europe (@OpenEurope) Cameron: in Feb we reached a clear deal rebate would remain unchanged, since then some have tried to question this agreement June 28, 2013 Open Europe (@OpenEurope) Cameron: I defeated these attempts to change the rebate, it will remain unchanged for this long term budget June 28, 2013 12.46pm BST David Cameron press conference underway In Brussels, David Cameron is holding his press conference now.
  • (13) The mechanical properties of compressed beam specimens of microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel pH 101) have been assessed in terms of the tensile strength (sigma t), Young's modulus (E) and the following fracture mechanics parameters: the critical stress intensity factor (KIC), the critical strain energy release rate (GIC) and the fracture toughness (R).
  • (14) "2013 was a tough year for us both in minerals and in oil and gas," Cochrane said, adding that the group had relied on"self help", including diversification which offset some of the challenges in its core mining market, improving operational efficiency, and strong growth in its after sales business, where orders were up 16% on 2012 and which accounted for 63% of revenues last year.
  • (15) "We carved out a few chances, but it was tough to break them down."
  • (16) Channel 5 will be hoping for a similar return for its new series, although with the launch audience around a third down on last year's opener, it may prove a tough ask.
  • (17) Dimon, the charismatic leader of the bank, had enjoyed a reputation as a tough, strict taskmaster, the kind of CEO every bank should have.
  • (18) Cameron put all of his betting chips on what seemed to be the party's trump card: the "vote for us, we're tough on migration and tough on migrants" strategy.
  • (19) As well as limited terms for MPs, Grillo has called for a referendum on the euro and a tough line on immigration.
  • (20) "It's a tough game but our best football has come in this competition and we'll try and show it next week.