tough love
noun
a mixture of toughness and warmth used in a relationship, especially with an adolescent.
Origin of tough love
First recorded in 1977; after
Toughlove, a network of support groups
Words nearby tough love
touché,
touggourt,
tough,
tough break,
tough it out,
tough love,
tough nut,
tough pitch,
tough row to hoe,
tough sledding,
tough-minded
Example sentences from the Web for tough love
She maintains the tough-love attitude of a pioneer, when it comes to her protégés.
But they see themselves as something of a tough-love organization.
British Dictionary definitions for tough love
tough love
noun
the practice of taking a stern attitude towards a relative or friend suffering from an addiction, etc, to help the addict overcome the problem