gruffly.

In a rough, blunt, or brusque manner, especially when speaking.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• say gruffly
• answer gruffly

On the page

“Take my coat,” he said gruffly, avoiding her eyes.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Invariable adverb. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character. Commonness: moderately common.