'Gruff' definitions:
Definition of 'gruff'
(from WordNet)
adjective
Brusque and surly and forbidding; "crusty remarks"; "a crusty old man"; "his curmudgeonly temper"; "gruff manner"; "a gruff reply" [syn: crusty, curmudgeonly, gruff, ill-humored, ill-humoured]
adjective
Definition of 'Gruff'
From: GCIDE
- Gruff \Gruff\ (gr[u^]f), a. [Compar. Gruffer (gr[u^]f"[~e]r); superl. Gruffest.] [D. grof; akin to G. grob, OHG. gerob, grob, Dan. grov, Sw. grof, perh. akin to AS. rc['o]fan to break, Z. reavc, rupture, g- standing for the AS. prefix ge-, Goth. ga-.] Of a rough or stern manner, voice, or countenance; sour; surly; severe; harsh. --Addison. [1913 Webster]
- Gruff, disagreeable, sarcastic remarks. --Thackeray. -- {Gruff"ly}, adv. -- {Gruff"ness}, n. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'gruff'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- abrupt,
- acerb,
- acid,
- acrimonious,
- aggressive,
- bad-tempered,
- bearish,
- beastly,
- biting,
- bluff,
- blunt,
- boorish,
- brash,
- brassy,
- brazen,
- brusque,
- cantankerous,
- caustic,
- cavalier,
- choked,
- churlish,
- coarse,
- crabbed,
- crabby,
- cracked,
- croaking,
- croaky,
- cross,
- crotchety,
- crusty,
- curt,
- cutting,
- deep,
- dour,
- dry,
- fierce,
- grouchy,
- growling,
- grumbling,
- grumbly,
- grumpish,
- grumpy,
- guttural,
- harsh,
- harsh-sounding,
- hoarse,
- husky,
- ill-humored,
- ill-natured,
- irascible,
- irritable,
- low,
- metallic,
- morose,
- peevish,
- petulant,
- querulous,
- ragged,
- rasping,
- raucid,
- raucous,
- rough,
- roupy,
- rude,
- saturnine,
- severe,
- sharp,
- short,
- short-tempered,
- snippety,
- snippy,
- sour,
- squawking,
- squawky,
- stertorous,
- stinging,
- strangled,
- sulky,
- sullen,
- surly,
- testy,
- thick,
- throaty,
- tinny,
- truculent,
- uncivil