as in sternness
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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, 7 Sep. 2025
Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gruffness
Noun
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Yet behind his sternness lived a man of reflection and sensitivity, whose words and verses hinted at a gentleness rarely shown.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Those who break the rules are hit with fines depending on the severity of the infraction.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
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So consider the size and severity of scratches and markings, as well as the item's price.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The noise cancellation is legendary, and the sound is balanced and clean, with no weird bass boosting or treble harshness.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
1 Dec. 2025
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The harshness of the rhetoric reflects just how much Moscow stands to lose if the deal holds and TRIPP become a reality.—
Ilan Berman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
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After years of fighting for its survival in the face of hacks and growing regulatory hostility, crypto’s fortunes abruptly change.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
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Jewish and civil rights groups blasted the move as weakening safeguards, fueling criticism that Mamdani’s early agenda signals hostility toward Israel and the Jewish community.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Dudamel and the orchestra delivered the score with absolute conviction and an almost punishing vehemence.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
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Their pro-human vehemence was evident in every quote and frame.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Not to mention that the elevators installed since 1990, beset by age, weather, vandalism, pee, and the general relentlessness of the New York City environment, seemed to break down as often as not.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
15 Dec. 2025
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French filmmaker David Moreau’s MadS is in some ways the platonic ideal of the one-shot film, using the lack of cuts to create a sense of propulsion and relentlessness that mirrors its characters’ descent into hell.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gruffness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gruffness. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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