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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Senate, the gruff oysterman opened with a joke.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, most leading tenor saxophonists adapted either the hefty, gruff attack of Coleman Hawkins or the airy, linear style of Lester Young.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 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
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
From distant rooms she heard men’s voices, gruff and serious, or ringing out with bold laughter.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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
This time the question was gruffer, like gravel scraping along rusted metal.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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
When he did find words they were of the gruffest and most matter-of-fact that an Englishman could vent.
From The King's Esquires The Jewel of France by Fenn, George Manville
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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