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.
On a recent episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” he gruffly declared, “You’re not going to win no Emmys with me, but I’m not trying to win Emmys.”
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
It is March 31, 1943, eight months before Hart’s death at age 48 from pneumonia, and Hart has just gruffly left the Broadway premiere of “Oklahoma!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025
“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
“I’m glad you like it,” Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
