gruffly

adverb

Definition of grufflynext
1
as in brusquely

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in grimly

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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. — 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
  1. brusquely
  2. grimly
  3. curtly
  4. firmly
  5. sharply
  6. strongly
  7. abruptly
  8. determinedly
Adverb
  • Léo’s tenderly nostalgic reminiscences of past love affairs are slapped down by Emma, who brusquely dismisses his pleasant recollections as mere male projection.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Yet, White House officials told me, Biden sometimes brusquely dismissed the views of both men, raising his voice as though berating children.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Definition of brusquely
Adverb
  • The flooding in Nepal is yet another calamity for a country grimly accustomed to crisis and upheaval.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Gun purchases made in response to events have been shown, grimly, to lead to still more accidental gun deaths.
    — Vishal R. Patel, Time, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of grimly
Adverb
  • Juliette later makes a stop to see Shirley, who is still being unreasonably pouty about her amnesiac friend not remembering her — and is, again, curtly dismissive of Juliette’s search for Lukas.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • But Ruben curtly responds that the only real homophobe is Niall himself.
    — Barry Levitt, Time, 29 May 2026
Definition of curtly
Adverb
  • The simple fact of the matter is that David Solomon remains firmly in charge of Goldman Sachs and will for the foreseeable future.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • For The Times) Greenspan claims somewhat less creative license with more traditional deli staples, though bagels, pastrami and knishes still stand firmly at the nexus of old Jewish traditions and Greenspan’s chef-y tendencies.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of firmly
Adverb
  • Charlottesville has become more Democratic, while rural areas have moved sharply toward Republicans.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Once the company and its shareholders become accustomed to such a financial boost, an environment where individual guest spending sharply increases even when domestic park attendance is soft or steady, there’s likely no turning back.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of sharply
Adverb
  • On Friday, the pope strongly reiterated the Church's pro-life teachings, criticizing initiatives to allow assisted dying for those who have incurable illnesses.
    — Joshua McElwee, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
  • DeRosa will portray Natalia Morales, Francisco’s supportive wife who believes strongly in family.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of strongly
Adverb
  • Turning, however, needed to be done in 90-degree increments, which created some potentially confusing graphics as entire scenes abruptly appeared.
    — Mark J. P. Wolf, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
  • They were hired by a nimble tech vendor with a flat hierarchy, and now they are being abruptly absorbed into a massive, heavily matrixed corporate bureaucracy.
    — Thanh Pham, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of abruptly
Adverb
  • Though based on the visuals of the past, his output is determinedly contemporary.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Blue-collar Ho-seok (Sul), a man traumatized by losing his factory job after a workers’ strike, lives a quiet life with his determinedly optimistic wife, Mi-ok (Jeon).
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of determinedly

Browse Nearby Words

gruff
gruffly
gruffness
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Cite this Entry

“Gruffly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gruffly. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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