Despite his gruffness, he had a surprisingly gentle heart.

The trader loaded the gruff crates onto the cart before dawn.

The gruff librarian surprised everyone by recommending a gentle poetry collection.

He tends to gruff his answers when he's nervous.

Despite their gruffnesses, the old sailors were kind to the orphan.

Whenever the boat rocks, the captain gruffs a warning to the crew.

He gruffly told the apprentice to get back to work.

Of all the sailors on the ship, Captain O'Leary was the gruffest, yet his crew trusted him with their lives.

The detective's usually calm tone grew gruffer as the interrogation went on.

The captain's gruffish remark hid a deep concern for the crew's safety.