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gruff
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Adjective gruff has 2 senses
- gruff(s = adj.all) crusty, curmudgeonly, ill-humored, ill-humoured - brusque and surly and forbidding; "crusty remarks"; "a crusty old man"; "his curmudgeonly temper"; "gruff manner"; "a gruff reply" Derived form noun gruffness2
- gruff(s = adj.all) hoarse, husky - 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" Derived form noun gruffness1
CIDE DICTIONARY
gruff, a. [D. grof; akin to G. grob, OHG. gerob, grob, Dan. grov, Sw. grof, perh. akin to AS. rcófan 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."
OXFORD DICTIONARY
gruff, adj.
1 a (of a voice) low and harsh. b (of a person) having a gruff voice.
2 surly, laconic, rough-mannered.
1 a (of a voice) low and harsh. b (of a person) having a gruff voice.
2 surly, laconic, rough-mannered.
Derivative
gruffly adv. gruffness n.
Etymology
Du., MLG grof coarse f. WG (rel. to ROUGH)
THESAURUS
gruff
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, uncivilROGET THESAURUS
gruff
Discourtesy
N discourtesy, ill breeding, ill manners, bad manners, ungainly manners, insuavity, uncourteousness rusticity, inurbanity, illiberality, incivility displacency, disrespect, procacity, impudence: barbarism, barbarity, misbehavior, brutality, blackguardism, conduct unbecoming a gentleman, grossieret_e, brusquerie, vulgarity, churlishness, spinosity, perversity, moroseness, sternness, austerity, moodishness, captiousness, cynicism, tartness, acrimony, acerbity, virulence, asperity, scowl, black looks, frown, short answer, rebuff, hard words, contumely, unparliamentary language, personality, bear, bruin, brute, blackguard, beast, unlicked cub, frump, crosspatch, saucebox, crooked stick, grizzly, discourteous, uncourteous, uncourtly, ill-bred, ill-mannered, ill-behaved, ill-conditioned, unbred, unmannerly, unmannered, impolite, unpolite, unpolished, uncivilized, ungenteel, ungentleman-like, ungentlemanly, unladylike, blackguard, vulgar, dedecorous, foul- mouthed foul-spoken, abusive, uncivil, ungracious, unceremonious, cool, pert, forward, obtrusive, impudent, rude, saucy, precocious, repulsive, uncomplaisant, unaccommodating, unneighborly, ungallant, inaffable, ungentle, ungainly, rough, rugged, bluff, blunt, gruff, churlish, boorish, bearish, brutal, brusque, stern, harsh, austere, cavalier, taint, sour, crabbed, sharp, short, trenchant, sarcastic, biting, doggish, caustic, virulent, bitter, acrimonious, venomous, contumelious, snarling, surly, surly as a bear, perverse, grim, sullen, peevish, untactful, impolitic, undiplomatic, artless, discourteously, with discourtesy, with a bad grace.Resonance
N resonance, ring, ringing, tintinabulation, reflexion, reflection, reverberation, echo, reecho, zap, zot, buzz (hiss), low note, base note, bass note, flat note, grave note, deep note, bass, basso, basso profondo, baritone, barytone, contralto, echo chamber, resonator, tinnitus, bell, doorbell, buzzer, gong, cymbals (musical instruments), sympathetic vibrations, natural frequency, coupled vibration frequency, overtone, resonating cavity, sounding board, tuning fork, tuning, squelch, frequency selection, resonator, resonator circuit, radio resonant structure, aromaticity, alternating double bonds, non-bonded resonance, pi clouds, unsaturation, double bond, (valence), resounding, resonant, reverberant, tinnient, tintinnabulary, sonorous, booming, deep-toned, deep-sounding, deep-mouthed, vibrant, hollow, sepulchral, gruff, sweet bells jangled, out of time and harsh, echoing down the mountain and through the dell.Stridor
N stridor, creak, creaking, discord, stridor, roughness, sharpness cacophony, cacoepy, acute note, high note, soprano, treble, tenor, alto, falsetto, penny trumpet, voce di testa, creaking, stridulous, harsh, coarse, hoarse, horrisonous, rough, gruff, grum, sepulchral, hollow, sharp, high, acute, shrill, trumpet-toned, piercing, ear-piercing, high-pitched, high-toned, cracked, discordant, cacophonous.
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