gruff

[ gruhf ]
See synonyms for: gruffgruffness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,gruff·er, gruff·est.
  1. low and harsh; hoarse: a gruff voice.

  2. rough, brusque, or surly: a gruff manner.

Origin of gruff

1
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle Dutch grof “coarse”; cognate with German grob

Other words for gruff

Opposites for gruff

Other words from gruff

  • gruff·ish, adjective
  • gruff·ly, adverb
  • gruff·ness, noun
  • un·gruff, adjective

Words Nearby gruff

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How to use gruff in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gruff

gruff

/ (ɡrʌf) /


adjective
  1. rough or surly in manner, speech, etc: a gruff reply

  2. (of a voice, bark, etc) low and throaty

Origin of gruff

1
C16: originally Scottish, from Dutch grof, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German girob; related to Old English hrēof, Lithuanian kraupùs

Derived forms of gruff

  • gruffish, adjective
  • gruffly, adverb
  • gruffness, noun

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