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 )

Other Word Forms

• harshly adverb
• harshness noun
• overharsh adjective
• overharshly adverb
• overharshness noun
• unharsh adjective
• unharshly 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 proposals were criticised as "harsh and unnecessary" by the Refugee Council charity and are likely to be opposed by left-wing lawmakers within Prime Minister Keir Starmer's embattled Labour government.

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"I'm not trying to be harsh, I'm just being honest."

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Enver Solomon, chief executive at the Refugee Council, described the government's plans as "harsh and unnecessary", and said they "won't deter people who have been persecuted, tortured or seen family members killed in brutal wars".

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The harsh truth about the MK-Ultra experiments first came to light in the 1970s.

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However, she added that she would not hand out a harsher sentence in order to set an example to his large social media following.

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Related Words

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