harsh
adjective
ungentle and unpleasant in action or effect.
harshness
-
a word derived from
harsh.
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.
"I can say with absolute certainty that to raise creatures able to survive nature's harshness, they must be toughened up while growing up," Kinjo, 56, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Genesis brand engineers spend some coin to attenuate engine and mechanical noise, vibration and harshness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
There’s often a clarifying, poignant harshness in the losses they depict.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
To assess excessive punishment claims, Colorado courts begin by comparing “the gravity or seriousness of the offense to the harshness of the penalty.”
From Slate ● Dec. 29, 2025
The sarcasm that had repelled, the harshness that had startled me once, were only like keen condiments in a choice dish: their presence was pungent, but their absence would be felt as comparatively insipid.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
