gruff
(redirected from gruffish)Also found in: Thesaurus.
gruff
(grŭf)adj. gruff·er, gruff·est
1. Brusque or stern in manner or appearance: a gruff reply.
2. Hoarse; harsh: a gruff voice.
[Dutch grof, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German.]
gruff′ly adv.
gruff′ness n.
Synonyms: gruff, brusque, blunt2, curt
These adjectives mean abrupt and sometimes discourteous in manner or speech. Gruff implies roughness or surliness but does not necessarily suggest rudeness: a decent fellow once you get past the gruff manner. Brusque emphasizes rude abruptness: dismissed us with a brusque wave of the hand. Blunt stresses utter frankness and usually a disconcerting directness: was blunt in her disapproval of the idea. Curt denotes usually rude briefness and abruptness of speech: a curt, two-line letter of rejection.
These adjectives mean abrupt and sometimes discourteous in manner or speech. Gruff implies roughness or surliness but does not necessarily suggest rudeness: a decent fellow once you get past the gruff manner. Brusque emphasizes rude abruptness: dismissed us with a brusque wave of the hand. Blunt stresses utter frankness and usually a disconcerting directness: was blunt in her disapproval of the idea. Curt denotes usually rude briefness and abruptness of speech: a curt, two-line letter of rejection.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
gruff
(ɡrʌf)adj
1. rough or surly in manner, speech, etc: a gruff reply.
2. (of a voice, bark, etc) low and throaty
[C16: originally Scottish, from Dutch grof, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German girob; related to Old English hrēof, Lithuanian kraupùs]
ˈgruffish adj
ˈgruffly adv
ˈgruffness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
gruff
(grʌf)adj. -er, -est.
1. low and harsh; hoarse: a gruff voice.
2. rough, brusque, or surly: a gruff manner.
[1525–35; < Middle Dutch grof coarse, c. Old High German grob]
gruff′ly, adv.
gruff′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Adj. | 1. | gruff - brusque and surly and forbidding; "crusty remarks"; "a crusty old man"; "his curmudgeonly temper"; "gruff manner"; "a gruff reply" ill-natured - having an irritable and unpleasant disposition |
| 2. | gruff - 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"- Virgil Thomson cacophonic, cacophonous - having an unpleasant sound; "as cacophonous as a henyard"- John McCarten |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
gruff
adjective
1. hoarse, rough, harsh, rasping, husky, low, croaking, throaty, guttural He picked up the phone expecting to hear the chairman's gruff voice.
hoarse sweet, smooth, mellifluous
hoarse sweet, smooth, mellifluous
2. surly, rough, rude, grumpy, blunt, crabbed, crusty, sullen, bad-tempered, curt, churlish, bearish, brusque, impolite, grouchy (informal), ungracious, discourteous, uncivil, ill-humoured, unmannerly, ill-natured His gruff exterior concealed a kind heart.
surly kind, pleasant, polite, gracious, courteous, good-tempered
surly kind, pleasant, polite, gracious, courteous, good-tempered
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
gruff
adjectiveThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
غليظ، أجَشفَظ، غير وُدّي
chraplavýdrsnýnevrlý
bryskgrovhæsstuds
rekedtes
hranalegurrámur, hás
gergždžiančiu balsugergždžiantisstačiokiškumas
nedraudzīgsparupjšpiesmacisskarbs
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
gruff
[grʌf] adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl))) → burbero/aCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
gruff
(graf) adjective1. deep and rough. a gruff voice.
2. (seeming to be) unfriendly. a gruff old man.
ˈgruffly adverbˈgruffness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.