gruffly

adverb

Definition of grufflynext
1
as in brusquely

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in grimly

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gruffly Rose’s relationship with her father, too, is unusual in its unresolved jaggedness, while Sisto’s gruffly on-edge performance points to a deeper well of adult pain in Wes that his daughter cannot yet manage or comprehend. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 June 2026 Chief among the familiar faces is Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the stoic, gruffly professional explosives-disposal expert Major Will Tranter, who shows up at a construction site in the heart of London where an unexploded, 1,000-pound WWII bomb has just been found. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gruffly
  1. brusquely
  2. grimly
  3. curtly
  4. firmly
  5. sharply
  6. strongly
  7. abruptly
  8. determinedly
Adverb
  • Léo’s tenderly nostalgic reminiscences of past love affairs are slapped down by Emma, who brusquely dismisses his pleasant recollections as mere male projection.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Yet, White House officials told me, Biden sometimes brusquely dismissed the views of both men, raising his voice as though berating children.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Definition of brusquely
Adverb
  • The flooding in Nepal is yet another calamity for a country grimly accustomed to crisis and upheaval.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Gun purchases made in response to events have been shown, grimly, to lead to still more accidental gun deaths.
    — Vishal R. Patel, Time, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of grimly
Adverb
  • Juliette later makes a stop to see Shirley, who is still being unreasonably pouty about her amnesiac friend not remembering her — and is, again, curtly dismissive of Juliette’s search for Lukas.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • But Ruben curtly responds that the only real homophobe is Niall himself.
    — Barry Levitt, Time, 29 May 2026
Definition of curtly
Adverb
  • All your living room furniture should sit firmly on the rug (in a bedroom, nightstands are the exception).
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Using your hands, firmly press ends down toward platter to split potatoes open.
    — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of firmly
Adverb
  • The kind and volume of content being sought are being defined more sharply.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The share of parents who believe their children share their commitment to giving back fell even more sharply to 65% from 76%.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of sharply
Adverb
  • Mathematicians strongly suspect that there is a genuinely knotty loop that also has a Jones polynomial 1.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Strip away these one-time charges, and its underlying business accelerated strongly.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of strongly
Adverb
  • The bombers were moved abruptly in response to multiple streams of intelligence warnings, including a threat that the aircraft could be hit in a swarm drone attack similar to one Ukraine launched against Russia in June 2025.
    — Steve Hendrix, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Cookie lovers searching the streets of New York City for a certain particularly gooey, thick and chewy dessert were left with crumbs this weekend after a local cookie chain abruptly shut its doors.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of abruptly
Adverb
  • Though based on the visuals of the past, his output is determinedly contemporary.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Blue-collar Ho-seok (Sul), a man traumatized by losing his factory job after a workers’ strike, lives a quiet life with his determinedly optimistic wife, Mi-ok (Jeon).
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of determinedly

Browse Nearby Words

gruff
gruffly
gruffness
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Cite this Entry

“Gruffly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gruffly. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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