gruff

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

Known for his gruff vocals, LaMontagne first came to the scene in the early aughts as a timid troubadour.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

As Morrison jammed in the kitchen, Hansard said his request for one of his songs was met with a gruff response from Morrison.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Senate, the gruff oysterman opened with a joke.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

The gruff tones of Hugo’s voice, with an occasional shout when his feelings overcame him, were very impressive, and the audience applauded the moment he paused for breath.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

“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

“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

Pos and Dave sound older and gruffer, as they should, but their trademark wit and verbal dexterity are still in prime form.

From Slate ● Aug. 30, 2016

Tanto is louder, Oz is gruffer, Rone is an old friend of Jack's from past tours of duty.

From The Verge ● Jan. 14, 2016

Then a third voice, gruffer than the first, answered: “I’m the blue KW hauling a dry box.”

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

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

Ned," said the Doctor to him one day, in his gruffest tone, "you are not turning out to be the boy I looked for and meant to make.

From Doctor Grimshawe's Secret — a Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne