harshness

The quality or state of being harsh.

O, she is
Ten times more gentle than her father's crabbed,
And he's composed of harshness.

'Tis not enough no harshness gives offense,
The sound must seem an echo to the sense.

Syn. -- Acrimony; roughness; sternness; asperity; tartness. See Acrimony.

noun

The fact or condition of being rigorous and unsparing: austerity, hardness, rigidity, rigor, rigorousness, severity, sternness, strictness, stringency, toughness. See easy/hard.

The noun has 4 meanings:

Meaning #1: the roughness of a substance that causes abrasions
  Synonyms: abrasiveness, scratchiness

Meaning #2: harsh or rough to the ear
  Synonym: roughness

Meaning #3: the quality of being cruel and causing tension or annoyance
  Synonyms: cruelty, cruelness

Meaning #4: excessive sternness
  Synonyms: severity, rigor, rigour, inclemency, hardness, stiffness