brusque and surly and forbidding; "crusty remarks"; "a crusty old man"; "his curmudgeonly temper"; "gruff manner"; "a gruff reply"
Used in a Sentence
gruff
How to use gruff in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for gruff.
Editorial note
Work with the gruff neckbeard at your employer.
Examples6
Definitions2
Parts of speech1
Quick take
brusque and surly and forbidding; "crusty remarks"; "a crusty old man"; "his curmudgeonly temper"; "gruff manner"; "a gruff reply"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of gruff gathered in one view.
deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion; "gruff voices"; "the dog's gruff barking"; "hoarse cries"; "makes all the instruments sound powerful but husky"- Virgil Thomson
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for gruff.
adjective
brusque and surly and forbidding; "crusty remarks"; "a crusty old man"; "his curmudgeonly temper"; "gruff manner"; "a gruff reply"
See also: crusty, curmudgeonly, ill-humored, ill-humoured
adjective
deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion; "gruff voices"; "the dog's gruff barking"; "hoarse cries"; "makes all the instruments sound powerful but husky"- Virgil Thomson
Example sentences
Work with the gruff neckbeard at your employer.
Kind of heartless, gruff, and willing to crush anyone in his way, but a guy with a vision so strong he will do anything.
The guards wear the peaked hats and gruff manners of the Soviet era. A display shows the children of railway workers triumphing in chess and athletics.
George was a gruff, ex-Marine in his 60s known all over the world and had many weight lifting awards to his name and wrote for magazines.
Give me a mixed team of radically different personality types and political leanings, all willing to push and be gruff with each other, yet all in good sport.
I submitted my third such ticket just this last week, a follow-up to an issue I had a day or two ago, and got a rather gruff response from Tekkub about how he had "already addressed this in the last ticket.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use gruff in a sentence?
Work with the gruff neckbeard at your employer.
What does gruff mean?
brusque and surly and forbidding; "crusty remarks"; "a crusty old man"; "his curmudgeonly temper"; "gruff manner"; "a gruff reply"
What part of speech is gruff?
gruff is commonly used as adjective.