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# gruff

adjective (gruff, gruffer, gruffest); adverb (gruffly)

«gruff» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (of a voice) Low, deep and rough. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gruff/#m1)
2. (of a person) Rather unfriendly or impatient in the way they speak, though maybe kind underneath. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gruff/#m2)

### In the lessons

In the fairy tale «The Three Billy Goats Gruff», the goats outwit the troll under the bridge. In The Wind in the Willows, Badger is gruff: he speaks shortly and hates Society, but he is kind and wise and looks after Mole and Ratty in the snow. In stories, gruff tells the reader how someone sounds.

### Examples

- «Who's there?» said Badger in a gruff voice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gruff/#x1)
- The Three Billy Goats Gruff crossed the bridge. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gruff/#x2)
- Grandpa sounds gruff, but he's really very kind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gruff/#x3)
- The guard answered gruffly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gruff/#x4)
- His voice was gruff from his cold. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gruff/#x5)
- «Come in, then,» said the gruff old man. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gruff/#x6)
- “Ahas!” said a gruff voice across the water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gruff/#x7)

### Note

Comparisons gruffer, gruffest. Similar: rough, hoarse (sore throat), brusque (formal), grumpy.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «gruff» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gruff/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«gruff» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/gruff.html) on Mova free.