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
-
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
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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:
Tensions are rising as pets become more pampered, prices skyrocket and vets have to deliver harsh news; ‘she should have a waist’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026
In time he may be transferred to a different jail with a less harsh regime and more modern facilities.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026
A nine-month-old baby died of hypothermia on Thursday, his father and a doctor told AFP, after days of harsh weather and flooding in the Gaza Strip that displaced thousands of Palestinians living in tents.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026
The pair had formed in 2018, and fans tuned in to watch them weather harsh winter storms, incubate eggs and care for their fuzzy offspring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2026
He stared at Fanny and in a harsh and impatient tone demanded, “Is the secretary asleep?”
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
The General Social Survey, a survey of public opinion, finds that after about 1994, Americans’ preference for harsher courts softened.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
Ken Mahoney, CEO of Mahoney Asset Management, said the harsher reactions showed that “expectations were through the roof and a lot was already priced in.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 2026
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s government is looking for ways to negotiate the release of the captured men before resorting to a harsher military response, said one person involved in the rescue efforts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
His greatest sadness was for Lacey, who should have had his name in lights but instead was part of a team scuttling off the pitch to the sound of boos and harsher criticism.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The wind blew down the valley, picking up dust and straws, and grew stronger and harsher as it went south.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
The bulk of student-loan borrowers never work with debt collectors or face the harshest consequences of the student-loan system.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026
How they reinvented themselves out of the world's harshest headlines, and found redemption in the smallest of Scottish communities.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Jordanian King Abdullah II described the shooting as a terrorist attack and promised the harshest retaliation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Some of the harshest treatment of these girls was from other women, and that is something which I found very hard to reconcile,” O’Brien said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Perhaps the harshest conditions of all were faced by the millions of Jewish people who lived in Eastern Europe.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
