Abstract: As one of the earliest researched and most widely used ceramics, alumina (Al₂O₃) has many excellent properties, such as high strength and hardness, high-temperature resistance, wear resistance and corrosion resistance, etc., and has been widely used in the fields of defense industry, aerospace and biomedicine. However, the inherent brittleness greatly limits the further application of Al₂O₃ ceramic in many fields. Toughening has always been a core research topic in the study of ceramic materials, and the introduction of toughened phase materials is the main way to improve the toughness of ceramic materials. In this paper, the toughening mechanism of ceramic materials is briefly summarized, and then the latest research status of Al₂O₃ ceramic toughening is reviewed, the key problems existing in the toughening method are analyzed, and the development direction of Al₂O₃ ceramic toughening is prospected, in order to provide reference for the subsequent development of Al₂O₃ ceramic toughening.