harsh

[ hahrsh ]

adjective

1. ungentle and unpleasant in action or effect:

   harsh treatment; harsh manners.

2. grim or unpleasantly severe; stern; cruel; austere:

   a harsh life; a harsh master.

   Synonyms: bad-tempered, acrimonious, brutal, unkind, unfeeling, hard, brusque

3. physically uncomfortable; desolate; stark:

   a harsh land.

   Synonyms: rough

4. unpleasant to the ear; grating; strident:

   a harsh voice; a harsh sound.

   Synonyms: unharmonious, dissonant, discordant

5. unpleasantly rough, ragged, or coarse to the touch:

   a harsh surface.

6. jarring to the eye or to the esthetic sense; unrefined; crude; raw:

   harsh colors.

7. unpleasant to the taste or sense of smell; bitter; acrid:

   a harsh flavor; a harsh odor.

harsh

/ hɑːʃ /

adjective

1. rough or grating to the senses
2. stern, severe, or cruel

verb

1. slang.
   tr to cause (a state of elation) to be diminished or ended (esp in the phrases harsh someone's mellow and harsh someone's buzz )

Derived Forms

• ˈharshly, adverb
• ˈharshness, noun

Other Words From

• harshly adverb
• harshness noun
• over·harsh adjective
• over·harshly adverb
• over·harshness noun
• un·harsh adjective
• un·harshly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of harsh¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English harsk; cognate with German harsch, Danish harsk “rancid”

Word History and Origins

Origin of harsh¹

C16: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Middle Low German harsch, Norwegian harsk rancid

Synonym Study

See stern ¹.

Example Sentences

But the report quickly raised fears in the context of harsh criticism by Trump and those in his inner circle of “woke generals” — a catchall phrase for those who are derided for allegedly promoting diversity and inclusion at the expense of military readiness.

From Los Angeles Times

One of the characteristics of Gareth Southgate's eight years as England manager was his restoration of the joy of representing the country, a basic willingness to turn up - something Kane's harsh words for the no-shows suggested was already at a loss.

From BBC

From a young age, I knew that people were crossing the border from Mexico through my little factory town I grew up in, Plaster City, Calif. I’d see them go into the night, not knowing how they would get through the harsh desert.

From Los Angeles Times

Others, like Rubio and Stefanik, were critics of Trump early in his first presidential bid, but they have now spent years demonstrating that their harsh words are a thing of the past.

From BBC

“The sentence is monstrously harsh,” the doctor’s lawyer, Oskar Cherdzhiyev, told me.

From BBC

Related Words

• bitter
• brutal
• cruel
• grim
• hard
• punitive
• relentless
• rude
• ruthless
• severe
• sharp
• stern
• stringent
• tough
• unkind
• unpleasant