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.
Fun fact: The movie’s director, Michael Sarnoski, loves a prickly hero: He also made “Pig,” which stars Nicolas Cage as a gruff truffle hunter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
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
Stout and slightly gruff, Dipper has a digital face that can approximate more than 40 expressions.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 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
His voice is gruff because he doesn't know any other way to speak.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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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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