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"Tough" is an adjective which is often translated as "duro", and "rugged" is an adjective which is often translated as "accidentado". Learn more about the difference between "tough" and "rugged" below.
tough(
tuhf
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
1. (difficult)
a. fuerte
She's a tough lady. She won't let this discourage her.Es una mujer fuerte. No se dejará desanimar por esto.
3. (strict)
a. duro
The city council has decided to get tough with street gangs.El ayuntamiento ha decidido ponerse duro con las pandillas callejeras.
b. peligroso (neighborhood)
That's a tough part of town. I wouldn't live there.Es un barrio peligroso. Yo no viviría allí.
a. resistente
You need something tougher than flip-flops for hiking.Necesitas algo más resistente que unas chancletas para ir de caminata.
A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
7. (ruffian)
a. el matón (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
There was a gang of toughs outside the store, so I waited until they were gone.Había una pandilla de matones en la puerta de la tienda, así que esperé hasta que se marcharan.
An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or other adverbs (e.g., to run quickly, very tired).
a. duro
You don't have to be a big strong man to act tough.No hace falta ser grandote y fuerte para hacerse el duro.
An interjection is a short utterance that expresses emotion, hesitation, or protest (e.g., Wow!).
rugged(
ruh
-
gihd
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
1. (irregular)
a. accidentado
"You wouldn't survive a day in this rugged terrain without proper footwear," said the guide."No sobrevivirías un día en este terreno accidentado sin el calzado adecuado", dijo el guía.
b. escarpado
Randall came back from the Himalayas with lots of photos of the rugged mountains.Randall volvió del Himalaya con muchas fotos de las escarpadas montañas.
c. escabroso
Many of Dali's paintings feature the rugged coastline of Catalonia's Costa Brava.El litoral escabroso de la Costa Brava de Cataluña figura en muchos cuadros de Dalí.
d. irregular
The carriage broke down due to the rugged road.El coche se estropeó por lo irregular de la carretera.
2. (coarse)
a. tosco
Some of the fishermen in the town may seem a bit rugged, but they're honest, hard-working people.Algunos de los pescadores del pueblo pueden parecer algo toscos, pero son personas honestas y trabajadoras.
b. rudo
That tavern is usually full of nefarious, rugged characters.Esa taberna suele estar llena de personajes rudos y despreciables.
a. duro
A bearded lumberjack with rugged features came out of the cabin.Un leñador barbudo de rasgos duros salió de la cabaña.
a. fuerte
This shovel seems kind of flimsy. Do you have anything a little more rugged?Esta pala me parece algo endeble. ¿Tienes algo un poco más fuerte?
b. resistente
Your bomber jacket looks pretty rugged. - Yeah, it's lasted me forever.Tu chaqueta cazadora parece muy resistente. - Sí, me ha durado muchísimo tiempo.
a. inquebrantable
George survived the desert island on little more than his own rugged willpower.George sobrevivió la isla desierta solo por su voluntad inquebrantable.
c. duro
Nothing deterred the rugged men from crossing the desert.Nada impidió que los duros hombres cruzaran el desierto.
a. duro
One by one, the members of the Antarctic expedition succumbed to the rugged climate conditions.Uno tras otro, los miembros de la expedición antártica sucumbieron a las duras condiciones del clima.
