GRUFFLY Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

gruffly

adverb

Definition of gruffly

as in brusquely

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

as in grimly

Related Words

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

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

In that film, a director famous for comedies yearns to make grimly earnest movies about the Depression, but learns that what people in dire straits crave is the distraction and release of comedy.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 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

The index has lost almost 40% since its June high and is firmly entrenched in bear market.

— Justina Lee,Sean Conlon, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
The reality is the situation in Nashville couldn't possibly be any worse, with the franchise firmly sitting at rock bottom.

— Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of firmly

Adverb

The production stalled in 1964 when the couple separated, and Kumari’s health declined sharply over the following years.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Inflation dropped sharply, deposits flowed back into the banking system, and the economy switched from negative to positive growth with a surge in exports leading the way.

— Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

The final agreement did not include changes to that practice and was ultimately not voted on by the Legislature after the last-minute deal was strongly criticized, particularly by assembly members.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Netflix strongly encourages employees to take a portion of their pay in the form of equity, but with shares down more than 45 percent from a year ago employees who have done so are feeling the pain.

— Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of strongly

Adverb

This week Ukraine also reported Elon Musk’s crucial Starlink internet system had been abruptly restricted on its drones, disrupting its military’s operations, with concerns in Kyiv the move was intended to further pressure it.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
An international flight scheduled to travel from Italy to Australia was abruptly canceled last week when a bedbug infestation was discovered in the cabin during an earlier flight, and the airline issued an apology for the incident.

— Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 17 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

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Gruffly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gruffly. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of gruffly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes