Thick-skinned
adj.resilient, thoughtfuleveryday
What it means
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.
Choose between these
6- playful
hard-boiled
when worldly emotional toughness suits a colorful description
not when Hard-boiled carries cynical, old-fashioned, or crime-fiction associations.
- everyday
when strength through adversity deserves a short direct word
not when Tough can imply hardness toward others rather than protection from their judgment.
- warm
when visible calm under provocation is what observers noticed
not when Unflappable concerns outward composure and may conceal private hurt.
- professional
when recovery from many kinds of pressure is the broader strength
not when Resilient does not specifically address sensitivity to criticism.
- formal
impervious
when criticism appears to have no effect at all
not when Impervious is nearly absolute and can suggest refusal to listen.
- literary
when pain is endured without complaint
not when Stoic describes restraint more than healthy processing of criticism.
Said against
3- thin-skinned
- oversensitive
- easily discouraged
It naturally appears in
3- 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.
Where this comes from
Thick-skinned is positive only when resilience does not become indifference to harm or feedback.
- Wiktionary, English adjective figurative sense: not easily offended or upset by criticism opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.