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,
17 June 2026
But then Popper smiled and the arrival of opening day momentarily mellowed his gruffness.
—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
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
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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.
Noun
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Emergency drain cleaning runs $400 to $1,000 or more, depending on severity.
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While most wildfires in the past burned slowly across the forest floor, providing benefits to the forest, high-severity fires roar into the tops of the trees, burning 1,000 degrees or hotter, with flames that can reach 200 feet tall.
Noun
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The harshness of the response suggested that after nearly five decades of trying to negotiate with the SSPX, the Holy See has had enough.
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The harshness of the response suggested that after trying to negotiate with the SSPX, the Vatican under Leo XIV had had enough.
Noun
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Engelbert has consistently mismanaged the overt physical hostility directed at the league's biggest star.
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Today, however, some experts suggest that explicit displays of racial hostility have become more visible in public spaces.
Noun
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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.
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Dudamel and the orchestra delivered the score with absolute conviction and an almost punishing vehemence.
Noun
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Control can look like leadership, urgency can look like commitment, and relentlessness can look like excellence.
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The film has a propulsive rhythm to it, a relentlessness, even as Wilde and editors Yorgos Mavropsaridis and Anthony Boys know when to ease off the throttle and take it easy for a bit.
Cite this Entry
“Gruffness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gruffness. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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