1
: rough, brusque, or stern in manner, speech, or aspect
a gruff reply
2
: being deep and harsh : hoarse
a gruff voice
gruffly
adverb
gruffness
noun
gruffed; gruffing; gruffs
: to utter in a gruff voice or manner
"Get out of bed now!" gruffed the sergeant.
Synonyms
Examples of gruff in a Sentence
Adjective
Don't be fooled by his gruff manner—he's really very kind.
He spoke in a gruff voice.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 1 Apr. 2024
Hence the stereotype built around women who lived through those turbulent decades as blunt, gruff and wearing black or colorful prints and visors to keep the sun off their face.
—Soo Youn, NBC News, 16 Mar. 2024
Walsh, a character actor known for his wry delivery and gruff yet slippery persona, had over 200 acting credits to his name.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024
Neill balances the fine line between gruff and cruel, a symbol of a thousand baby boomer stereotypes without seeming derivative.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024
Schreiber’s gruff, salt-of-the-earth Flynn lacks a threatening underside, like a rock without worms squirming beneath.
—Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Really, the most entertaining version of the series is Wong and Cunningham being gruff together.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
Despite the gruff tone, the Navy Secretary’s outburst was, at some level, entirely predictable—and something savvy industry strategists could have been more proactive in addressing.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
And this character archetype — a man with a gruff exterior but a good heart — would become a throughline for his career.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024
James Hookway, WSJ, 16 May 2022
Pompeo, often gruff in interactions with reporters, is a skilled retail politician and, although not a soaring orator, is adept at holding an audience’s attention.
—David M. Drucker, Washington Examiner, 2 Mar. 2021
Adjective
Diffie’s sturdy twang and Combs’s muscular, gruff vocal further extend the storyline, heightening this timeless ’90s country classic.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 1 Apr. 2024
Hence the stereotype built around women who lived through those turbulent decades as blunt, gruff and wearing black or colorful prints and visors to keep the sun off their face.
—Soo Youn, NBC News, 16 Mar. 2024
Walsh, a character actor known for his wry delivery and gruff yet slippery persona, had over 200 acting credits to his name.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024
Neill balances the fine line between gruff and cruel, a symbol of a thousand baby boomer stereotypes without seeming derivative.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024
Schreiber’s gruff, salt-of-the-earth Flynn lacks a threatening underside, like a rock without worms squirming beneath.
—Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Really, the most entertaining version of the series is Wong and Cunningham being gruff together.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
Despite the gruff tone, the Navy Secretary’s outburst was, at some level, entirely predictable—and something savvy industry strategists could have been more proactive in addressing.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
And this character archetype — a man with a gruff exterior but a good heart — would become a throughline for his career.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024
Verb
Devs, normally gruff with his postgame talks, couldn’t hide his pleasure.
—James Hookway, WSJ, 16 May 2022
Pompeo, often gruff in interactions with reporters, is a skilled retail politician and, although not a soaring orator, is adept at holding an audience’s attention.
—David M. Drucker, Washington Examiner, 2 Mar. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gruff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gruff
Cite this Entry
“Gruff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gruff. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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