gruff
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, most leading tenor saxophonists adapted either the hefty, gruff attack of Coleman Hawkins or the airy, linear style of Lester Young.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Her stamina impresses her manager, Greg, a gruff gay man who tells her about the gay club in town, where she meets Tina, the woman who teaches her acceptance through unconditional love.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026
He stays gruff, of course, but you sense that Ray is as manacled by his authoritarian role as Colin literally is in his hungry, slurping devotion to his master.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026
He is a situational bear, a situational bull and, almost despite himself, at age 87, a gruff, perpetual, starry-eyed idealist.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
“They’re voting with their absence,” came a gruff voice.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Vocabulary lists containing gruff
100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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The Girl Who Drank the Moon
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Auggie & Me
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