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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His gruff demeanor and monotone delivery offer a contrast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Ilya, a gruff Russian from Moscow, is a fellow professional hockey player for the fictional Boston Raiders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 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
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
He jumped when the gruff voice said, "Perhaps you did not understand me, Mr. Thatcher. We are drawing still lifes today. In particular, that still life."
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
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
Sanchez is a slightly gruffer presence in the background.
From New York Times ● Jun. 12, 2017
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
Love is all very well," continued Sir Thomas, in his gruffest voice; "but love should be regulated by good sense.
From Ayala's Angel by Anthony Trollope
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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