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gruff

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gruff

(grʌf)

1. adjective

A gruff voice sounds low and rough.

He picked up the phone expecting to hear the chairman's gruff voice.

Synonyms: hoarse, rough, harsh, rasping More Synonyms of gruff

gruffly adverb

'Well, never mind now,' he said gruffly.

2. adjective

If you describe someone as gruff, you mean that they seem rather unfriendly or bad-tempered.

His gruff exterior concealed one of the kindest hearts.

More Synonyms of gruff

gruff in British English

(ɡrʌf)

adjective

rough or surly in manner, speech, etc

a gruff reply

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

Derived forms

gruffish (ˈgruffish)

adjective

gruffly (ˈgruffly)

adverb

gruffness (ˈgruffness)

noun

Word origin

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

gruff in American English

(grʌf)

adjective

rough or surly in manner or speech; brusquely rude

harsh and throaty; hoarse

SIMILAR WORDS: blunt

Derived forms

gruffly (ˈgruffly)

adverb

gruffness (ˈgruffness)

noun

Word origin

< Du grof, akin to Ger grob, coarse, surly < OHG gerob < ge-, intens. + base akin to OE hreof, rough, scabby < IE base *kreup-: see graupel

Examples of 'gruff' in a sentence
gruff

A gruff voice comes on the telephone:'Hello!They can be seen as rough and gruff bandits of the road.Some of the older pros were rough and gruff which must have influenced me.The male pads about, calling to females with gruff barks.In a gruff voice, he gave the man a piece of his mind.Come to me, he said in a gruff voice.I was shown round by this gruff old foreman and learnt how to make beer.Just then came a knock at the door of the hut, and a gruff voice asked them to open the door.Beneath that gruff exterior lies, well, a gruff interior.The voice is gruff, pure Gotham.

1 (adjective) in the sense of hoarse

Definition

(of a voice) low and throaty

I was expecting to hear the chief executive's gruff voice.

Synonyms

hoarse

Nick's voice was hoarse with screaming.

rough

‘Wait!’a rough voice commanded.

harsh

He gave a loud, harsh laugh.

rasping

Both men sang in a deep raspy tone.

husky

His voice was husky with grief.

low

croaking

throaty

A broad smile and a throaty chuckle were his on-screen trademarks.

guttural

He spoke in a low guttural voice.

Opposites

sweet

smooth

mellifluous

2 (adjective) in the sense of surly

Definition

rough or surly in manner or speech

His gruff exterior concealed a kind heart.

Synonyms

surly

He behaves in a surly and rude manner towards me.

rough

He was rough and common.

rude

He's rude to her friends.

grumpy

I'm always grumpy in the morning.

blunt

She is blunt about her personal life.

crabbed

crusty

a crusty old colonel with a gruff manner

sullen

bad-tempered

a crusty, bad-tempered, ill-humoured character

curt

`The matter is closed,' was his curt reply.

churlish

It seemed churlish to refuse an offer meant so kindly.

bearish

brusque

The doctors are brusque and busy.

impolite

It would be most impolite to refuse a simple invitation to supper.

grouchy (informal)

Grandfather is a grouchy old so-and-so.

ungracious

I was often rude and ungracious in refusing help.

discourteous

Staff are often discourteous and sometimes downright rude.

uncivil

The shock of being addressed in such an uncivil tone was too much.

ill-humoured

unmannerly

ill-natured

Opposites

kind

pleasant

polite

gracious

courteous

good-tempered

Additional synonyms

in the sense of bad-tempered

a crusty, bad-tempered, ill-humoured character

Synonyms

irritable,

cross,

angry,

tense,

crabbed,

fiery,

grumbling,

snarling,

prickly,

exasperated,

edgy,

snappy,

sullen,

touchy,

surly,

petulant,

sulky,

ill-tempered,

irascible,

cantankerous,

tetchy,

ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),

tooshie (Australian, slang),

testy,

chippy (informal),

fretful,

grouchy (informal),

querulous,

peevish,

crabby,

huffy,

dyspeptic,

choleric,

splenetic,

crotchety (informal),

oversensitive,

snappish,

ill-humoured,

liverish,

narky (British, slang),

out of humour

in the sense of bearish

Synonyms

gruff,

rough,

clumsy,

sullen,

surly,

churlish

in the sense of blunt

Definition

(of people, manner of speaking, etc.) straightforward and uncomplicated

She is blunt about her personal life.

Synonyms

frank,

forthright,

straightforward,

explicit,

rude,

outspoken,

bluff,

downright,

upfront (informal),

trenchant,

brusque,

plain-spoken,

tactless,

impolite,

discourteous,

unpolished,

uncivil,

straight from the shoulder

Nearby words of
gruff

grudging
gruelling
gruesome
gruff
grumble
grumpy
grunge

Synonyms of 'gruff'

gruff

Explore 'gruff' in the dictionary

单词	gruff
释义	Trends of gruff View usage for: gruff (grʌf) 1. adjective A gruff voice sounds low and rough. He picked up the phone expecting to hear the chairman's gruff voice. Synonyms: hoarse, rough, harsh, rasping More Synonyms of gruff gruffly adverb 'Well, never mind now,' he said gruffly. 2. adjective If you describe someone as gruff, you mean that they seem rather unfriendly or bad-tempered. His gruff exterior concealed one of the kindest hearts. More Synonyms of gruff gruff in British English (ɡrʌf) adjective 1. rough or surly in manner, speech, etc a gruff reply 2. (of a voice, bark, etc) low and throaty Derived forms gruffish (ˈgruffish) adjective gruffly (ˈgruffly) adverb gruffness (ˈgruffness) noun Word origin C16: originally Scottish, from Dutch grof, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German girob; related to Old English hrēof, Lithuanian kraupùs gruff in American English (grʌf) adjective 1. rough or surly in manner or speech; brusquely rude 2. harsh and throaty; hoarse SIMILAR WORDS: blunt Derived forms gruffly (ˈgruffly) adverb gruffness (ˈgruffness) noun Word origin < Du grof, akin to Ger grob, coarse, surly < OHG gerob < ge-, intens. + base akin to OE hreof, rough, scabby < IE base kreup-: see graupel Examples of 'gruff' in a sentence gruff A gruff voice comes on the telephone:'Hello! Times, Sunday Times (2017) They can be seen as rough and gruff bandits of the road. The Sun (2015) Some of the older pros were rough and gruff which must have influenced me. Moynihan, John Kevin Keegan - Black and White (1993) The male pads about, calling to females with gruff barks. Times, Sunday Times (2007) In a gruff voice, he gave the man a piece of his mind. de Haan, Willem The Politics of Redress - crime, punishment and penal abolition (1989) Come to me, he said in a gruff voice. Times, Sunday Times (2011) I was shown round by this gruff old foreman and learnt how to make beer. Times, Sunday Times (2015) Just then came a knock at the door of the hut, and a gruff voice asked them to open the door. E. Nesbit The Treasure Seekers (1899) Beneath that gruff exterior lies, well, a gruff interior. Times, Sunday Times (2009) The voice is gruff, pure Gotham. Times, Sunday Times (2007) Holden's voice was gruff, almost as if he were close to tears. Baxter, Stephen Anti-Ice (1993) And yes, there is something quite funny about gruff old Churchill learning the power of the way. Times, Sunday Times (2016) Despite a gruff exterior, he was regarded as one of the most decent men in the music industry, always ready to mentor young songwriters. Times, Sunday Times (2016) 1 (adjective) in the sense of hoarse Definition (of a voice) low and throaty I was expecting to hear the chief executive's gruff voice. Synonyms hoarse Nick's voice was hoarse with screaming. rough ‘Wait!’a rough voice commanded. harsh He gave a loud, harsh laugh. rasping Both men sang in a deep raspy tone. husky His voice was husky with grief. low croaking throaty A broad smile and a throaty chuckle were his on-screen trademarks. guttural He spoke in a low guttural voice. Opposites sweet , smooth , mellifluous 2 (adjective) in the sense of surly Definition rough or surly in manner or speech His gruff exterior concealed a kind heart. Synonyms surly He behaves in a surly and rude manner towards me. rough He was rough and common. rude He's rude to her friends. grumpy I'm always grumpy in the morning. blunt She is blunt about her personal life. crabbed crusty a crusty old colonel with a gruff manner sullen bad-tempered a crusty, bad-tempered, ill-humoured character curt `The matter is closed,' was his curt reply. churlish It seemed churlish to refuse an offer meant so kindly. bearish brusque The doctors are brusque and busy. impolite It would be most impolite to refuse a simple invitation to supper. grouchy (informal) Grandfather is a grouchy old so-and-so. ungracious I was often rude and ungracious in refusing help. discourteous Staff are often discourteous and sometimes downright rude. uncivil The shock of being addressed in such an uncivil tone was too much. ill-humoured unmannerly ill-natured Opposites kind , pleasant , polite , gracious , courteous , good-tempered Additional synonyms in the sense of bad-tempered a crusty, bad-tempered, ill-humoured character Synonyms irritable, cross, angry, tense, crabbed, fiery, grumbling, snarling, prickly, exasperated, edgy, snappy, sullen, touchy, surly, petulant, sulky, ill-tempered, irascible, cantankerous, tetchy, ratty (British, New Zealand, informal), tooshie (Australian, slang), testy, chippy (informal), fretful, grouchy (informal), querulous, peevish, crabby, huffy, dyspeptic, choleric, splenetic, crotchety (informal), oversensitive, snappish, ill-humoured, liverish, narky (British, slang), out of humour in the sense of bearish Synonyms gruff, rough, clumsy, sullen, surly, churlish in the sense of blunt Definition (of people, manner of speaking, etc.) straightforward and uncomplicated She is blunt about her personal life. Synonyms frank, forthright, straightforward, explicit, rude, outspoken, bluff, downright, upfront (informal), trenchant, brusque, plain-spoken, tactless, impolite, discourteous, unpolished, uncivil, straight from the shoulder Nearby words of gruff grudging gruelling gruesome gruff grumble grumpy grunge Synonyms of 'gruff' gruff Explore 'gruff' in the dictionary*
随便看	het up heu heuchera heulandite heuretics heurism heuristic heuristically heuristics hevea hevelius hever castle hevesy hew hewable he walked down the road he wants to have his cake and eat it he was about to leave he was a bundle of nerves he was acting like an idiot he was asking for some book (or other) he was away for two years he was badly injured in the attack he was conspicuous by his absence he was covered with bruises/mud

Trends ofgruff

gruff

gruff in British English

gruff in American English

Examples of 'gruff' in a sentencegruff

Additional synonyms

Nearby words ofgruff

Synonyms of 'gruff'

gruff

Trends of
gruff

Examples of 'gruff' in a sentence
gruff

Nearby words of
gruff