harsh
Americanadjective
-
harsher,
comparative
-
harshest
superlative
-
ungentle and unpleasant in action or effect.
harsh treatment; harsh manners.
-
grim or unpleasantly severe; stern; cruel; austere.
a harsh life; a harsh master.
- Synonyms:
- bad-tempered, acrimonious, brutal, unkind, unfeeling, hard, brusque
-
physically uncomfortable; desolate; stark.
a harsh land.
- Synonyms:
- rough
-
unpleasant to the ear; grating; strident.
a harsh voice; a harsh sound.
- Synonyms:
- unharmonious, dissonant, discordant
-
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.
adjective
-
rough or grating to the senses
-
stern, severe, or cruel
verb
Synonym Usage
See stern 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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harshnessnoun
-
overharshnessnoun
-
overharshadjective
-
unharshadjective
-
harshlyadverb
-
overharshlyadverb
-
unharshlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of harsh
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English harsk; cognate with German harsch, Danish harsk “rancid”
Explanation
Harsh means severe or strict, particularly when referring to punishment. It would be a harsh punishment if you got grounded for two weeks just for coming home a little late for dinner. There are many shades of meaning for the word harsh depending on its context, but all imply that something is more unpleasant than it needs to be. Harsh lighting hurts your eyes. A harsh disciplinarian gives out punishments that are too severe. Whereas constructive criticism is usually helpful, a harsh critique will only make you upset. The harsh reality of the world today is that millions of people are starving while others have too much.
Vocabulary lists containing harsh
Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 4
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Oh, No! Synonyms for "Bad"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Plants would need help accessing limited resources while also coping with harsh growing conditions.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
His observations are vintage Theroux: Canadian politeness is “an essential survival strategy” in harsh weather.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Kind of a harsh read on her work, all around.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
There’s a price to be paid: you lend an ear, you overlook a harsh word and, yes, you ultimately hand over your time.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
The lanterns painted her face with a harsh yellow light.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
At the same time, they have become progressively vitriolic toward anyone who notes that the era’s realities were much harsher than what was shown on Nick at Nite sitcoms.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
The GRA, which supports rank and file police officers, would support tougher legislation, including harsher sentences and driving bans for people caught engaging in dangerous behaviour on the roads, she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Others in the market offered a harsher assessment of Warsh’s performance.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Australian victim Bianca Jones' parents also criticised the Laos authorities for not pursuing harsher charges.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
If anything, as my own work gets better, she becomes harsher and more exacting.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
It’s one of the harshest penalties in NBA history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
They formed an essential part of the survival strategies that enabled people to live in some of the harshest environments on Earth.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
The prosecutor general said Kozyura had agreed to share information "constituting state secrets" for financial reward and deserved the harshest punishment.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
They are each other’s first readers and, occasionally, harshest critics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
That memory stirs my harshest feelings toward Mr. Loomis.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
