Meaning of tough-love | Babel Free

Definitions

To practice tough love; to treat someone with compassion but applying stringent discipline in order to improve their behavior.

informal, transitive

Examples

“The system's got some of our finest men being tough-loved to death!”

“In time, the counselors at the program tough-loved me into acknowledging that I was using my disabilities as an excuse to drink and drug.”

“He must be tough-loved by the Church.”

“He tough-loved the hell out of me without ever knowing what tough love meant.”

CEFR level