1
as in brusquely
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2
as in grimly
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Recent Examples of gruffly
Rose’s relationship with her father, too, is unusual in its unresolved jaggedness, while Sisto’s gruffly on-edge performance points to a deeper well of adult pain in Wes that his daughter cannot yet manage or comprehend.
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Guy Lodge,
Variety,
8 June 2026
Chief among the familiar faces is Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the stoic, gruffly professional explosives-disposal expert Major Will Tranter, who shows up at a construction site in the heart of London where an unexploded, 1,000-pound WWII bomb has just been found.
—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
8 June 2026
Chief among the familiar faces is Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the stoic, gruffly professional explosives-disposal expert Major Will Tranter, who shows up at a construction site in the heart of London where an unexploded, 1,000-pound WWII bomb has just been found.
—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gruffly
Adverb
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Citadel executives brusquely dismiss the idea that anything shady is going on.
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In some instances, judges brusquely threw cases out of court after prosecutors walked in with little evidence.
Adverb
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Tuchel’s approach might, at least, be grimly appropriate for a tournament whose organizers would surely like everyone to focus on the action, and ignore the stench of corruption and xenophobia in the air.
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For her part, Gianina is just trying to stow away enough earnings to support her daughter, Maria (Sofia Dragoman), who lives with her grandmother (Liliana Ghita) in a grimly anonymous village in the countryside, and to save for an anticipated Christmas reunion in Romania.
Adverb
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But Ruben curtly responds that the only real homophobe is Niall himself.
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The Yangs were called in and curtly told the judgment was being overturned, their lawsuit dismissed without trial.
Adverb
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This guest embraces her sporty side with classic sneakers, a sleek black headband, and track pants that look ready for a sprint—though the black sweater vest keeps things firmly in fashion territory.
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Apply glue, but not too much, and press firmly for several seconds.
Adverb
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The one-time 5% tax on the state’s billionaires has rocked Sacramento in recent months, sharply dividing Democrats and splintering labor coalitions.
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That conflict sharply curtailed the region’s oil exports and saw several gulf countries take direct retaliatory Iranian missile and drone hits.
Adverb
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While the city writ large is divided on Mamdani, Democratic primary voters strongly favor the 34-year-old democratic socialist who won in an upset a year earlier, according to Bradley Honan, a Democratic pollster.
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Where assortments were once strongly driven by trends, today the starting point is the customer.
Adverb
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Last week, the president abruptly canceled a housing bill signing ceremony, blocking the legislation from immediately becoming law.
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Once a promising middle-of-the-order threat with the Cubs, Morel's offensive regression intensified in Miami, ending the experiment abruptly.
Adverb
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The few street names in Happy Haven were determinedly upbeat, with Christian undertones.
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Wall Street has been determinedly upbeat about the war in Iran resolving in a relatively short window.
Cite this Entry
“Gruffly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gruffly. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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