harsh

[ hahrsh ]
/ hɑrʃ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR harsh ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to harsh

hard, grim, severe, rigid, sharp, bitter, strident, bleak, stringent, tough, unkind, rude, ruthless, cruel, brutal, relentless, unpleasant, punitive, stern, coarse

Example sentences from the Web for harsh

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