gruff

[ gruhf ]
/ grʌf /

adjective, gruff·er, gruff·est.

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

Origin of gruff

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

OTHER WORDS FROM gruff

gruff·ish, adjective gruff·ly, adverb gruff·ness, noun un·gruff, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for gruff

British Dictionary definitions for gruff

gruff
/ (ɡrʌf) /

adjective

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

Derived forms of gruff

gruffish, adjective gruffly, adverb gruffness, 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