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.
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
Sullivan—a gruff Irish-Catholic variety-show host who could make or break careers—dropped a folder on the table, a dossier of FBI and press clippings, and asked bluntly:
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 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
Gen. Vasyl Maliuk, a gruff and muscular career security officer, took charge of the agency soon after Russia invaded in 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025
Well, not really a bark, but the gruff voice of an old man.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
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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