Like a road of tough character (5)
I believe the answer is:
rocky
'road of tough character' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adjectives. Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'like a' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'like' could be 'y' (similar in meaning) and 'y' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'rock' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rocky that I've seen before include "likely to collapse" , "Wobbling" , "Unstable US mountain range?" , "Film" , "Characterised by large stones" .)