harsh

[ hahrsh ]

/ hɑrʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR harsh ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

ungentle and unpleasant in action or effect: harsh treatment; harsh manners.

grim or unpleasantly severe; stern; cruel; austere: a harsh life; a harsh master.

physically uncomfortable; desolate; stark: a harsh land.

unpleasant to the ear; grating; strident: a harsh voice; a harsh sound.

unpleasantly rough, ragged, or coarse to the touch: a harsh surface.

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

unpleasant to the taste or sense of smell; bitter; acrid: a harsh flavor; a harsh odor.

Nearby words

harrow, harrowing, harrumph, harry, harry potter, harsh, harshen, harslet, harstad, hart, hart's-tongue

Origin of harsh

1250–1300; Middle English harsk; cognate with German harsch, Danish harsk rancid

SYNONYMS FOR harsh

2 brusque, hard, unfeeling, unkind, brutal, acrimonious, bad-tempered. See stern¹.

3 rough.

4 discordant, dissonant, unharmonious.

6 unesthetic.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR harsh ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

harsh·ly, adverbharsh·ness, nouno·ver·harsh, adjectiveo·ver·harsh·ly, adverb

o·ver·harsh·ness, nounun·harsh, adjectiveun·harsh·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for harsh

Why, some might be asking, am I being so harsh on their work so soon after they died?
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Your letter highlights so many of the harsh realities trans people face, specifically in regard to how society rejects us.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Your death is symbolic of the harsh reality facing so many of us.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But this was the year when criticism of said women finally got the harsh words it deserved.
Renée Zellweger Got a New Face—and Everyone Had An Opinion About It|Kevin O’Keeffe|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

As for his harsh—some might even say paranoid—opposition to European integration, “most of us would support him.”
Vaclav Klaus, Libertarian Hero, Has His Wings Clipped by Cato Institute|James Kirchick|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She moaned and wept and refused all comfort, until one night she closed her eyes on the world which had been so harsh and bitter.
The Bishop's Secret|Fergus Hume
That harsh call to return rang in their hearts by day and by night, awakening home-sickness and desire.
The Outrage|Annie Vivanti
A harsh voice or two and the sound of whips presently silenced the barking dogs, and all was still again.
The Golden Dog|William Kirby
She looked so piteous through her tears that, savage as I felt, my heart reproached me for my harsh, cruel speech.
Flora Lyndsay|Susanna Moodie
Though naturally of a mild disposition, his controversies unfortunately assumed the harsh and vituperative tone of the period.
The Jesuits, 1534-1921|Thomas J. Campbell

British Dictionary definitions for harsh

harsh

/ (hɑːʃ) /

adjective

rough or grating to the senses

stern, severe, or cruel

verb

(tr) slang 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

harshly, adverbharshness, noun

Word Origin for harsh

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

harsh

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of harsh

SYNONYMS FOR harsh

Related forms

Examples from the Web for harsh

British Dictionary definitions for harsh

harsh

adjective

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for harsh