gruff
Rough and unfriendly in voice or manner.
gruff in a sentence
- 'What do you want?' came a gruff voice from behind the workshop door.
- The gruff old sea captain barked his orders, but he always saved a sardine for the ship's cat.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to gruff?
- Arough
- Bfriendly
- Csoft
- Dgentle
Show the answer
A: rough. The other three mean the opposite of gruff.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to gruff?
- Arough
- Bharsh
- Cgentle
- Dgrumpy
Show the answer
C: gentle. The other three mean nearly the same as gruff.
Words that mean something similar
rough, grumpy, harsh
Words that mean the opposite
gentle, soft, friendly
More words about speech & sound
- harmonious: Going together in a peaceful and pleasant way.
- hubbub: A loud noise made by lots of voices at once.
- hushed: Very quiet and still.
- implore: To beg someone desperately to do something.
- imply: To suggest something without actually saying it.
- inaudible: So quiet that it cannot be heard.
- indicate: To show or point out where something is, or what is meant.
- interrogate: To ask someone lots of questions, often in a strict way, to find something out.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test