GRUFFNESS Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

gruffness

noun

Definition of gruffness

as in sternness

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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 gruffness Mackay and Turner are both excellent, two movie stars who seem totally game to be asked to move with real gruffness. — Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 June 2026 But then Popper smiled and the arrival of opening day momentarily mellowed his gruffness. — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gruffness

Noun

Flores was a disciplinarian whose icy sternness and sharp tongue wore on some players.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
Saura had a large sense of the humor, which struck those who got to know him, belying the sternness of his public visage with his playful banter and frequent chuckle.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026

Definition of sternness

Noun

And dry forests and parched soils significantly increase the likelihood and severity of wildfires.

— Ava Berger, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026
The increasing frequency and severity of combinations like drought and flooding are what climate breakdown is all about.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of severity

Noun

With instant messaging yet to be invented, 11 am—the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month—was chosen to be the time when hostilities would officially cease in order to allow news of the armistice to reach the front lines.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Nov. 2026
Trump has floated the possibility of restarting hostilities with Iran after the midterm election.

— Justin Papp,Caleigh Keating,Garrett Downs,Kevin Breuninger,Dan Mangan, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of hostility

Noun

Adelaide said, with a vehemence that frightened Masha, the maid trying to spoon medicine into her clenched mouth.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
Less than a minute later, Kerr found a new level of vehemence after the Clippers’ John Collins wasn’t called for goaltending on a shot by Gary Payton II.

— Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026

Definition of vehemence

Noun

That instinct — a kind of collective relentlessness about getting to what’s real — is exactly what a durable longevity economy needs.

— Ida Kristensen, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026
There are scraps of industrial, cybergrind, metalcore, and death metal in this stew, as well as a healthy garnish of Godflesh’s machinelike relentlessness, all of it well balanced.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of relentlessness

Browse Nearby Words

gruffly

gruffness

grumble

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Style

“Gruffness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gruffness. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of gruffness

noun

Example Sentences

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