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.
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She described Winstone as a "lovely man" who was "exactly the same in character as in real life with his proper gruff East End accent".
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
For someone whose notoriety has twice become inseparable from who he’s married to, Pitt’s choice to play gruff loners feels noticeably calculated, keeping an arm’s distance between his work and the audience.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
Wyck may be the voice of reason, but that voice is off-putting and his demeanor gruff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Senate, the gruff oysterman opened with a joke.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
“Now,” she said in her gruff voice, “line up by age, youngest first.”
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
“From Day 1, we’ve always run away from whatever record we just finished,” he says, gruffer and more matter-of-fact than his brother.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2021
Dad was gruffer, but still avoided saying it outright.
From Slate ● May 29, 2018
“There was a handful of people here for something yesterday,” says the voice, which seems to be getting gruffer.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 7, 2018
Sanchez is a slightly gruffer presence in the background.
From New York Times ● Jun. 12, 2017
“Come in!” and Mr. Laurence’s gruff voice sounded gruffer than ever, as Jo tapped at his door.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Possessing one of the sharpest minds in the business, Prince was one of its gruffest truth-tellers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2019
Here bringing heart to what could be a harsh cad, in even his his gruffest, roughest performances, Finney always found an emotional center that allowed audiences in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2019
“Loving you is complicated,” he announces, in his gruffest tone: the “you” is himself, hip-hop, and his own success.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 18, 2015
Mr. Bradlee looked up from his omnipresent crossword puzzle, “and in his gruffest voice,” Pincus recalled, “he said, ‘You ought to be paying me for all the fun you’re having.’ ”
From Washington Post
Even the gruffest old seaman began to smile, and every one seemed in good spirits.
From On the Banks of the Amazon by William H. C. Groome
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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