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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Their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, but no further information on the nature or severity of the injuries was available, Kelley said.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
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While the court handed down several years in prison, the family said the outcome doesn't match the severity of the crime.—
Madeleine Wright,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Sunlight naturally sanitizes, and air drying prevents the harshness of high heat.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
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The tinted visor that Morgan Geekie wore for two games against the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars in January could help mute the lights’ harshness.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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If hostilities end quickly, oil prices could drop back to a range of $60 to $70 per barrel , but any attack by Tehran on any neighboring facilities could mean Brent prices above $100 a barrel, according to Francisco Blanch, commodity strategist at Bank of America.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
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With hostilities in the region escalating, there are signs that tankers are holding off on traveling through the strait, experts said.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
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.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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Such vehemence looked awkward just a few hours later, when The Athletic broke the news that, on December 20, Barca would actually be visiting Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica after all.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His relentlessness to regain the ball was infectious to his team-mates on Sunday, as the 27-year-old used his physicality to impose himself on Spurs’ centre-backs.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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Robert Fields' relentlessness Texas State center Robert Fields isn’t the most polished player; that much is clear.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gruffness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gruffness. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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