gruff meaning and definition

GRUFF adjective

Definition of gruff (adjective)

1. brusque and surly and forbidding
   • "crusty remarks"; "a crusty old man"; "his curmudgeonly temper"; "gruff manner"; "a gruff reply"
   • synonyms: crusty, curmudgeonly, ill-humored, ill-humoured
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"- Virgil Thomson
   • synonyms: hoarse, husky