harsh

[ hahrsh ]

/ hɑrʃ /

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See synonyms for: harsh / harsher / harshest / harshly 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR harsh

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

3 rough.

4 discordant, dissonant, unharmonious.

6 unesthetic.

See synonyms for harsh on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of harsh

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

synonym study for harsh

2. See stern¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM harsh

harshly, adverbharshness, nouno·ver·harsh, adjectiveo·ver·harsh·ly, adverb

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

Words nearby harsh

harrow, harrowing, harrumph, harry, Harry Potter, harsh, harshen, harslet, Harstad, hart, Hartack

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use harsh in a sentence

First, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and several other stars went public with harsh criticism of the NBA’s decision to pursue an All-Star Game in March.
The NBA’s week of controversies show how hard life is outside of the bubble|Ben Golliver|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
They used sophisticated tools, made art, and established themselves in some very harsh environments.
What happens when you replace a human gene with its Neanderthal version?|John Timmer|February 11, 2021|Ars Technica
Look for heated mittens if you experience harsh wintersAlthough the best mittens come with a built-in warmth boost, in certain conditions, that might not be quite enough.
Best mittens: Keep your hands cozy|PopSci Commerce Team|February 8, 2021|Popular-Science
Between 29,000 and 14,000 years ago, a harsh Ice Age took hold.
Harsh Ice Age winters may have helped turn wolves into dogs|Bruce Bower|February 3, 2021|Science News For Students

His early prosecutorial appointments, however, do not show signs of worshipping a harsh Old Testament god.
The Return of the Regulators|by Jesse Eisinger|February 2, 2021|ProPublica
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
And, she added, “In other neighborhoods, I feel they are a little harsh.”
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 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
Where these overtones are interfered with by any imperfection in the instrument the result is a harsh or imperfect sound.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
A car conductor is instructed to treat passengers civilly and to use no harsh means with them, save in extreme cases.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
In the humour her spouse was then in she had better have remained silent—she told him, that he was harsh and unjust.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
“He hath told us already, Princess,” said the other, his harsh accents sounding more like the snarl of a wolf than a human voice.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
He was considered a harsh Governor because his martial law administration was characterized by severe punishment for wrongdoing.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey

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 of harsh

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

OTHER WORDS FOR harsh

Origin of harsh

synonym study for harsh

OTHER WORDS FROM harsh

Words nearby harsh

Words related to harsh

How to use harsh in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for harsh

Derived forms of harsh

Word Origin for harsh