Meaning & use
tough to grasp
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
Difficult to understand or comprehend.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb like 'be' or 'seem': The theory is tough to grasp.
Patterns
- something is tough to grasp
- find something tough to grasp
The concept of infinity is tough to grasp for many students.
His explanation was tough to grasp because he used too much jargon.
The instructions were tough to grasp at first, but I eventually figured them out.
Common combinations
- tough to grasp
- The idea was tough to grasp without a diagram.
- find something tough to grasp
- Many learners find abstract grammar tough to grasp.
- be tough to grasp
- The rules of the game are tough to grasp for beginners.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hard to understand
- Similar meaning, but 'hard to understand' can refer to people as well as things: He is hard to understand when he mumbles.
- difficult to comprehend
- More formal and often used for complex ideas: The theory is difficult to comprehend.
Opposites
Commonly confused: tough to grasp or tough to get?
tough to grasp vs tough to get
Means difficult to obtain, not difficult to understand: The tickets were tough to get.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'tough to grasp' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Only option A makes sense because 'tough to grasp' means difficult to understand, so reading it again is a logical response. The other options do not relate to understanding.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tough to grasp”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.