"I had a rough day." vs "I had a tough day."
I know they express almost the same idea. But is there a slight difference between them? If there is, when should I use "rough" and when "tough"?
Learn English – What’s the difference between “rough” and “tough”
word-choiceword-usage
Best Answer
The same question was asked here but I shall offer my own interpretation on the difference in meanings.
According to the Oxford dictionary of ‘rough’, it means 1. Having an uneven or irregular surface; not smooth or level. When ‘rough’ is used figuratively to describe your day, it could give the impression that your day is very turbulent and is full of tribulations. I would imagine it to be like rough waves just cascading onto you, making you feel very worn out.
On the other hand, if your day is described as a tough one, it would be pointing towards definition 2.2 of ‘tough’ in the Oxford dictionary, meaning difficult. A tough day would be one that’s full of obstacles or things that made you feel upset.
Both tough and rough days would have you feel exhausted at the end of the day due to how emotionally taxing they are.