Gruff has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
Adjective
Verb
Adjective
1
brusque and surly and forbidding
"crusty remarks"
"a crusty old man"
"his curmudgeonly temper"
"gruff manner"
"a gruff reply"
2
deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion
"gruff voices"
"the dog's gruff barking"
"hoarse cries"
"makes all the instruments sound powerful but husky"
3
having a rough, surly, and harsh demeanor and nature.
Example Sentences
"crusty remarks"
adjective
"a crusty old man"
adjective
"his curmudgeonly temper"
adjective
"gruff manner"
adjective
"a gruff reply"
adjective
"gruff voices"
adjective
"the dog's gruff barking"
adjective
"hoarse cries"
adjective
"makes all the instruments sound powerful but husky"
adjective