gruffly
Americanadverb
-
in a low, harsh, gravelly voice; hoarsely.
The album is nothing but monster hit after monster hit, all played energetically and sung gruffly by these aging rockers.
-
in a rough, brusque, or surly manner.
“Hey, now, cut that out!” he said gruffly, looking at us with a stern frown.
Etymology
Origin of gruffly
First recorded in 1680–90; gruff ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
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.
“We’ll send out a press release later, Miss Kunene,” he said gruffly, then turned his back to her.
From Slate • Dec. 24, 2022
A former shadow deputy governor during the war, he gruffly shares all his woes.
From BBC • Aug. 14, 2022
Asked why pre-snap penalties keep cropping up 14 games in and he gruffly responded “because we’ve got issues.”
From Seattle Times • Dec. 20, 2021
He’s now 87 and “suffering terribly from TMB,” he says gruffly during a telephone interview.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2021
“Promise me,” he says gruffly, “you’ll stay away from Scott Hipwell. Promise me, Rach.”
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
