Tough Love

This phrase was coined by Bill Milliken when he published the book of the same name in 1968 and revised it with Char Meredith in 1971.

It has become widely used and copied with numerous authors writing books of the same title or employing the phrase in their title. It occurs frequently in the news as well.

The phrase refers to the practice of setting boundries for children.

Mom: She is staying out all night and her friends are drinking heavily. I am worried about her.

Dad: You just have to use tough love and ground her until she has time to see how ill advised her choices really are.

by Malangthon October 11, 2010

Tough Love

A bullshit excuse to mistreat and severely scar your loved one's

He calls it tough love, but all he's doing is treating her like dirt.

by justsaying0007 October 4, 2010

Tough love

Compassion might make somebody feel better, but without tough love nothing will actually get done.

Tough love is as effective as compassion.

by Solid Mantis May 19, 2021

Tough love

Tough love gets things done.

Yesterday, they whined about tough love being abusive and how the guy should be more supportive. Today, they thought doing things in a kinder, gentler way was too weak, and that the guy failed them for lack of tough love.

by The Original Agahnim August 3, 2021

Tough love

Doing some thing really wierd or unexpected, absolutely extra ordinary and uncalled for because of love.

Shady's mum kicked him out of the house because he continued to do drugs and play video game all day. She's gat tough love

Glass sold his car to buy a Ruby for his gal friend.Talk of tough love. What a guy! (Ofcourse I'd never do this. Not my Cruiser!)

by Julius Glass Mussenze November 5, 2005

Tough love

stopping the ones you love from reproducing for the sakes of others.

Big brother showed his little sister some tough love when he told her he'd hit her pressure points if she did drugs.

by RNC_CSA January 10, 2010

Tough love

The act of doing things that might hurt the other person , but because you want them to learn, be better; being tough with someone you love for showing them the right way; comes from a place of love.

He gives her tough love because he loves her, he wants her to be better.

by love1812 November 6, 2017