Able to receive criticism or hostility without losing composure or purpose.
Reach for it when praising resilience to judgment while leaving room for empathy and useful feedback
The thick-skinned director separated the harsh tone from the valid warning in the letter.
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday |
|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
playful
hard-boiled
Fits when worldly emotional toughness suits a colorful description
Careful Hard-boiled carries cynical, old-fashioned, or crime-fiction associations.
everyday
Fits when strength through adversity deserves a short direct word
Careful Tough can imply hardness toward others rather than protection from their judgment.
warm
Fits when visible calm under provocation is what observers noticed
Careful Unflappable concerns outward composure and may conceal private hurt.
professional
Fits when recovery from many kinds of pressure is the broader strength
Careful Resilient does not specifically address sensitivity to criticism.
formal
impervious
Fits when criticism appears to have no effect at all
Careful Impervious is nearly absolute and can suggest refusal to listen.
literary
Fits when pain is endured without complaint
Careful Stoic describes restraint more than healthy processing of criticism.
be thick-skinned
A public advocate must be thick-skinned without becoming closed-minded.
thick-skinned enough
She was thick-skinned enough to hear the complaint and curious enough to investigate it.
thick-skinned campaigner
The thick-skinned campaigner kept her answer factual and calm.
Keep in mind
Thick-skinned is positive only when resilience does not become indifference to harm or feedback.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated
Your browser isn't saving lists, so this one will be cleared when you leave the page.