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.
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
The Guardian's review said Sir Michael delivers "a gruffly heart-breaking performance" in the film, while the Radio Times added he "plays his role with complete dignity".
From BBC • Oct. 13, 2023
“We’ll send out a press release later, Miss Kunene,” he said gruffly, then turned his back to her.
From Slate • Dec. 24, 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
“I will deal with it,” Ida answered, and Lucia gruffly left the room.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
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.
