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gruff

[ gruhf ]
/ grʌf /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR gruff

adjective, gruff·er, gruff·est.

low and harsh; hoarse: a gruff voice.
rough, brusque, or surly: a gruff manner.

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Origin of gruff

1525–35; <Middle Dutch grof coarse; cognate with German grob

SYNONYMS FOR gruff

2 curt.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR gruff

ANTONYMS FOR gruff

2 courteous.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR gruff

OTHER WORDS FROM gruff

gruffish, adjectivegruffly, adverbgruffness, nounun·gruff, adjective

Words nearby gruff

gruel, grueling, gruelling, Gruenberg, gruesome, gruff, gruffy, grugru, gruiform, grum, grumble
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to gruff

dour, crusty, offhand, brusque, surly, boisterous, grumpy, blunt, nasty, throaty, abrupt, boorish, churlish, crabby, crude, curt, discourteous, fierce, grouchy, ill-natured

Example sentences from the Web for gruff

British Dictionary definitions for gruff

gruff
/ (ɡrʌf) /

adjective

rough or surly in manner, speech, etca gruff reply
(of a voice, bark, etc) low and throaty

Derived forms of gruff

gruffish, adjectivegruffly, adverbgruffness, noun

Word Origin for gruff

C16: originally Scottish, from Dutch grof, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German girob; related to Old English hrēof, Lithuanian kraupùs
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012