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.
But that didn’t stop voters from embracing it, giving the show 19 nominations, including one for Dickey’s turn as the gruff town hall worker who is the Spielberg of overhead projector presentations.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
Senate, the gruff oysterman opened with a joke.
From Slate • Jul. 7, 2026
The details were salacious and shocking to his peers, who’d known him as a socially awkward, occasionally gruff finance bro.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 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
Alan was a gruff old fellow, for he was long hours in attendance on duty and was responsible for the safety of all within the castle.
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
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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