tough talk
Aggressive verbal posturing
Tough talk is aggressive, confrontational, or threatening language meant to project strength or intimidate.
Politicians engage in tough talk about crime or foreign adversaries.
The phrase often implies the words exceed the speaker's actual willingness to act: It's just tough talk—he won't follow through.
Someone who talks tough adopts this posture.
- blusterLoud, empty boasting
- bravadoPretense of fearlessness
- swaggerConfident, boastful manner
- threatsDeclarations of intended harm
- intimidationDeliberate fear-inducing pressure
macho · posturing · show of force · aggressive · confrontational · hardball · bare knuckles · ultimatum · draw a line · read the riot act · put on notice · chest-thumping · fighting words · bullying · big stick · brash · defiant · menacing
- intimidationthreats, threatening, menacing, intimidate, bullying
- verbal fightsargument, quarrel, dispute, confrontation, shouting match
- egoego, egoism, big ego, egotism, egocentrism
tough talkdiplomacy
Negotiation between nations
soft words · conciliation · appeasement · olive branch · sweet talk
tough talkaction
Process of doing
follow-through · deeds · decisive action · walking the walk · putting up
tough, talk, tougher, toughest, toughly, toughness, toughen, toughened, toughening