tough love

noun

: love or affectionate concern expressed in a stern or unsentimental manner (as through discipline) especially to promote responsible behavior

Examples of tough love in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Gordon Ramsay has some tough love for the owner of a New Orleans restaurateur who's preparing to serve hundreds of guests during the Super Bowl this year. —

Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025 Bass missed a 51-yard kick during the game, which led head coach Sean McDermott to declare that the team needed to have that kick — the first sign of public tough love the Bills have issued to Bass since the end of last season. —

Joe Buscaglia, The Athletic, 28 Aug. 2024 Specifying tone, such as tough love or empathy, aligns the messages with the individual's preferred coaching style. —

Tor Constantino, Mba, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025 The idea is to nurture them with tough love and nudge them to adulthood — then release them, like fish in a river. —

John Branch, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tough love