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, adjectiveWords nearby gruff
Example sentences from the Web for gruffness
British Dictionary definitions for gruffness
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, nounWord Origin for gruff
C16: originally Scottish, from Dutch
grof, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German
girob; related to Old English
hrēof, Lithuanian
kraupùs