gruff
Despite the gruffness, John knew his father was pleased to see him.
For all her gruffness and trying to hide that she loved Paul, I knew she did.
He has a vocal range that moves from grumbling gruffness to high-pitched whines.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Not being friendly
abrasive
abrasively
abrasiveness
abruptly
abruptness
aloof
estrangement
estrangement from someone
flintily
forbidding
forbiddingly
frigid
gruff
offish
remote
remoteness
reserved
reservedly
saturnine
wintry

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Describing qualities of the human voice