harsh

(härsh)
adj., harsh·er, harsh·est.

1. Unpleasantly coarse and rough to the touch. See synonyms at rough.
2. Disagreeable to the senses, especially to the sense of hearing.
3. Severe, cruel, or exacting: harsh punishment; a harsh overseer.
4. Unpleasant or uncomfortable: a harsh wilderness.

[Middle English harsk, of Scandinavian origin.]

harshly harsh'ly adv.
harshness harsh'ness n.

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adjective

1. Having a surface that is not smooth: coarse, cragged, craggy, ironbound, jagged, ragged, rough, rugged, scabrous, uneven. See smooth/rough.
2. Disagreeable to the sense of hearing: dry, grating, hoarse, jarring, rasping, raspy, raucous, rough, scratchy, squawky, strident. See sounds/pleasant sounds/unpleasant sounds/neutral sounds or silence.
3. Having a noticeably sharp pungent taste or smell: acerbic, acrid, bitter, sour. See taste/bad taste.
4. Rigorous and unsparing in treating others: demanding, exacting, hard, rigid, severe, stern, strict, tough, unyielding. See easy/hard.
5. Cold and forbidding: austere, bleak, dour, grim, hard, severe, stark. See attitude/good attitude/bad attitude/neutral attitude, hot/cold/lukewarm.
6. Causing sharp, often prolonged discomfort: bitter, brutal, hard, rough, severe. See comfort/discomfort.

adj

Definition: nasty, abusive
Antonyms: courteous, friendly, kind, nice, polite

adj

Definition: rough, crude (to the senses)
Antonyms: easy, gentle, mild, peaceful, pleasing, smooth, soft

mod. bad; rude.  She's a harsh lady and doesn't care how you feel.

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IN BRIEF: Rough and unpleasant. Also: Cruel or very strict.

Free curiosity is of more value than harsh discipline. — Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

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For a list of words related to harsh, see:

• Demanding, Critical, Calculating, or Selfish
• Troublesome, Negative, Irresponsible, or Unpleasant

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See words rhyming with "harsh."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Harsh.

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - hård, streng, brutal, rå, skurrende, disharmonisk, skærende, skarp, grov

Nederlands (Dutch)
wreed, scherp, onvriendelijk, harteloos, hardvochtig, vinnig, streng, grof, krassend (geluid)

Français (French)
adj. - cruel, brutal, sévère, rigoureux (un climat), difficile (des conditions), corrosif, détergent (un shampoing), rêche (un tissu), cru (une lumière), rude (une voix)

Deutsch (German)
adj. - rauh, grell, schroff, streng, hart

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - σκληρός, τραχύς, αυστηρός, δριμύς, άγριος

Italiano (Italian)
crudele, brutale, severo

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - áspero, azedo, dissonante, cruel

Русский (Russian)
грубый, резкий, суровый, строгий

Español (Spanish)
adj. - cruel, duro, áspero, severo, violento

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - hård, skärande, skarp

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
粗糙的, 严厉的, 刺耳的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 粗糙的, 嚴厲的, 刺耳的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 거친, 거슬리는, 깔깔한, 가혹한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 不快な, 厳しい

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) خشن الملمس, أجش الصوت, مزعج أو مؤلم, قاس, , جاف غير سائغ فنيا أو جماليا‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮גס, צורם, קשה, אכזרי‬

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