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.

Her stamina impresses her manager, Greg, a gruff gay man who tells her about the gay club in town, where she meets Tina, the woman who teaches her acceptance through unconditional love.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

He stays gruff, of course, but you sense that Ray is as manacled by his authoritarian role as Colin literally is in his hungry, slurping devotion to his master.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 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

Mr. Nakadai played the dogged cop assisting Mifune’s gruff industrialist in foiling a kidnapper’s plot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

I walked until I heard a gruff shout.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri