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.
See Examples For:
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
Most of the characters are flat and the portrayals stagey, starting with Mr. Grammer’s gruff but likable Fairfax.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The son of a Scottish immigrant, McCluskie had a reputation as a political street fighter and his gruff style complemented Becerra’s more measured, cerebral approach.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
We both pivot at the sound of the gruff voice.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Dad was gruffer, but still avoided saying it outright.
From Slate ● May 29, 2018
Their melodious deliveries was were complimented by the gruffer voice and more theatrical likes of Dixon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2018
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
Bob Knight, his mentor long ago, is older and gruffer.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 26, 2013
Before I could react, Tyson’s voice changed again, becoming deeper and gruffer, like the other guy we’d heard talking to Luke outside the cafeteria.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
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
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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