1
: having a coarse uneven surface that is rough or unpleasant to the touch
granite stones harsh with lichen—
Nancy Hale
2
a
: causing a disagreeable or painful sensory reaction : irritating
her harsh high-pitched voice
The horseradish was too harsh for the children.
: overly intense or powerful
b
: physically discomforting
The climate there is very harsh.
: unpleasant and difficult to accept or experience
the harsh realities of poverty
a harsh reminder of the importance of wearing a seat belt
3
: excessively critical or negative
had some harsh words for her opponent
: unduly severe in making demands
4
: lacking in aesthetic appeal or refinement : crude
a harsh and sometimes unpleasant book, barren of pretty touches—Brendan Gill
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for harsh
harsh implies a surface or texture distinctly unpleasant to the touch.
a harsh fabric that chafes the skin
uneven implies a lack of uniformity in height, breadth, or quality.
an old house with uneven floors
rugged implies irregularity or roughness of land surface and connotes difficulty of travel.
scabrous implies scaliness or prickliness of surface.
Example Sentences
The climate there is very harsh.
We’ve had an extremely harsh winter.
It’s time for her to face the harsh realities of this situation.
The accident serves as a harsh reminder of the importance of wearing a seat belt.
The lighting in the room was very harsh.
The state has established harsh penalties for drug dealers.
She has been criticized for her harsh treatment of her students.
He was sentenced to a harsh prison term.
He had harsh words for his opponent.
She has faced some extremely harsh criticism.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Lawmakers recently approved legislation that creates among the harshest penalties in the country against traffickers of illicit fentanyl.
—John Sharp | , al, 12 Apr. 2023
Price, a civil rights lawyer, was elected in November on a platform of reducing harsh criminal penalties and ending death-penalty prosecutions.
—Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Apr. 2023
Greenidge observes that the concerns of Archie, Frank, and other members of the elite ignored the harsh realities confronting the majority of Black people in post-Reconstruction America: lynching, legalized segregation, and Black disenfranchisement.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Apr. 2023
However, whether through wavering political support, unanticipated technological challenges or merely the harsh realities of NASA’s overloaded portfolio, there is a good chance these decadal plans will not proceed at their optimal speed.
—Fabio Pacucci, Scientific American, 4 Apr. 2023
Lottie has connected with Travis on a spiritual level, telling him to have faith that his brother is alive, while Nat has tried her hardest to get Travis to accept the harsh reality that Javi could not survive for two months on his own.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2023
One letter, from the son of the former Butler County auditor Kay Rogers, asked for a harsh penalty.
—Erin Glynn, The Enquirer, 31 Mar. 2023
The ministry statement went on to highlight China’s harsh domestic penalties on drug trade and consumption.
—Tara John, CNN, 30 Mar. 2023
Italy has also instated harsher penalties for traffickers.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘harsh.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English harsk, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian harsk harsh
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of harsh was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near harsh
Cite this Entry
“Harsh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harsh. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
Other forms: harsher; harshest
Harsh means severe or strict, particularly when referring to punishment. It would be a harsh punishment if you got grounded for two weeks just for coming home a little late for dinner.
There are many shades of meaning for the word harsh depending on its context, but all imply that something is more unpleasant than it needs to be. Harsh lighting hurts your eyes. A harsh disciplinarian gives out punishments that are too severe. Whereas constructive criticism is usually helpful, a harsh critique will only make you upset. The harsh reality of the world today is that millions of people are starving while others have too much.
Definitions of harsh
-
adjective
disagreeable to the senses
“the
harsh cry of a blue jay”“the
harsh white light makes you screw up your eyes”“harsh irritating smoke filled the hallway”
-
Synonyms:
-
unpleasant
disagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings
-
unpleasant
-
adjective
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
-
synonyms:
coarse
-
coarse-grained, large-grained
not having a fine texture
-
coarse-grained, farinaceous, grainy, granular, granulose, gritty, mealy
composed of or covered with particles resembling meal in texture or consistency
-
granulated
made grainy or formed into granules
-
plush-like, plushy
(of textures) resembling plush
-
loose, open
(of textures) full of small openings or gaps
-
rough, unsmooth
having or caused by an irregular surface
-
coarse-grained, large-grained
-
adjective
unkind or cruel or uncivil
“had
harsh words”“a
harsh and unlovable old tyrant”-
synonyms:
rough
-
unkind
lacking kindness
-
unkind
-
“a
harsh penalty”-
Synonyms:
-
heavy
unusually great in degree or quantity or number
-
heavy
-
adjective
unpleasantly stern
“wild and
harsh country full of hot sand and cactus”-
synonyms:
rough
-
unpleasant
disagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings
-
unpleasant
-
adjective
sharply disagreeable; rigorous
“the
harsh facts of court delays”-
synonyms:
abrasive
-
disagreeable
not to your liking
-
disagreeable
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘harsh’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English harsk, harisk(e), hask(e), herris. Century derived the term from Old Norse harskr (whence Danish harsk (“rancid”), dialectal Norwegian hersk, Swedish härsk); the Middle English Dictionary derives it from that and Middle Low German harsch (“rough”, literally “hairy”) (whence also German harsch), from haer (“hair”), from Old Saxon hār, from Proto-West Germanic *hār; the Oxford Dictionary of English derives it from Middle Low German alone.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (General American) IPA(key): /hɑɹʃ/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /hɑːʃ/
- (obsolete) IPA(key): /hæʃ/[1]
- Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)ʃ
Adjective[edit]
harsh (comparative harsher, superlative harshest)
- Unpleasantly rough to the touch or other senses.
- Severe or cruel.
-
harsh decision
-
harsh penalty
-
harsh teacher
-
harsh rule
-
harsh ruling
-
2011 November 5, Phil Dawkes, “QPR 2 — 3 Man City”, in BBC Sport[2]:
-
Great news for City, but the result was harsh on Neil Warnock’s side who gave as good as they got even though the odds were stacked against them.
-
-
Antonyms[edit]
- The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates
{{syn|en|...}}or{{ant|en|...}}.
- genteel
Derived terms[edit]
- harsh noise
- harshly
- harshness
Translations[edit]
rough
- Aromanian: ascuru
- Bulgarian: груб (bg) (grub), остър (bg) (ostǎr)
- Catalan: aspre (ca) m or f
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 粗暴 (zh) (cūbào)
- Czech: hrubý (cs) m
- Danish: ru, grov
- Dutch: ruw (nl), grof (nl)
- Finnish: karkea (fi), kova (fi)
- French: sévère (fr), rude (fr)
- Galician: áspero m, esgrevio
- German: rau (de), harsch (de)
- Greek: τραχύς (el) (trachýs)
- Indonesian: kasar (id)
- Italian: grossolano (it), ruvido (it), rude (it) m, aspro (it) (taste), accidentato (it), gibboso (it), discordante (it) (sound)
- Japanese: 粗悪 (ja) (そあく, soaku)
- Korean: 거칠다 (ko) (geochilda)
- Latin: asper, raucus, immītis
- Latvian: raupjš, rupjš
- Maori: kakawa, tīkākā (to the ears)
- Occitan: rude (oc), aspre (oc)
- Old English: āfor
- Persian: زمخت (fa) (zomoxt)
- Plautdietsch: ruch
- Polish: szorstki (pl)
- Portuguese: áspero (pt)
- Romanian: aspru (ro)
- Russian: жёсткий (ru) (žóstkij), твёрдый (ru) (tvjórdyj), гру́бый (ru) (grúbyj), шершавый (ru) (šeršavyj), шерохова́тый (ru) (šeroxovátyj), зазубренный (ru) (zazubrennyj), неприя́тный (на ощупь) (ru) (neprijátnyj (na oščupʹ))
- Spanish: áspero (es)
- Sundanese: loma
- Swahili: mkali (sw)
- Swedish: sträv (sv)
- Turkish: sert (tr)
- Ukrainian: гру́бий (hrúbyj), суво́рий (suvóryj), різки́й (uk) (rizkýj)
severe or cruel
- Armenian: դաժան (hy) (dažan)
- Bulgarian: рязък (bg) (rjazǎk), суров (bg) (surov)
- Catalan: sever m, severa f
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 嚴格／严格 (zh) (yángé)
- Danish: grov
- Dutch: wreed (nl), zwaar (nl)
- Finnish: tyly (fi), julma (fi), kova (fi), ankara (fi), raaka (fi)
- French: sévère (fr), cruel (fr)
- Galician: severo m, fero (gl), áspero, cru (gl)
- German: unwirsch (de), harsch (de), scharf (de), hart (de), streng (de), schrill (de), herb (de), rau (de), grell (de)
- Greek: σκληρός (el) (sklirós)
- Ancient: χαλεπός (khalepós), ἀμείλικτος (ameíliktos)
- Italian: duro (it), severo (it), crudele (it), rigido (it), rigoroso (it)
- Korean: 냉혹하다 (naenghokhada)
- Latin: acerbus (la), inclēmēns
- Maori: kakawa, taimaha, taumaha, toimaha, whakawiri, tuanui
- Occitan: sevèr (oc)
- Old English: āfor
- Polish: szorstki (pl), bezwzględny (pl)
- Portuguese: duro (pt), severo (pt), grosso (pt), grosseiro (pt), cruel (pt)
- Romanian: aspru (ro), sever (ro)
- Russian: ре́зкий (ru) (rézkij), гру́бый (ru) (grúbyj), суро́вый (ru) (suróvyj), стро́гий (ru) (strógij)
- Sanskrit: दारुण (sa) (dāruṇa)
- Spanish: duro (es), severo (es)
- Swahili: mkali (sw)
- Turkish: haşin (tr), gaddar (tr) (individual), zorlu (tr) (all senses)
- Ukrainian: жорстки́й (žorstkýj)
- Volapük: sevärik (vo)
Translations to be checked
- Albanian: (please verify) ashpër (sq), (please verify) vrazhdë (sq)
- Bengali: (please verify) রুক্ষ (rukkho)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: (please verify) 苛刻的 (kēkè de)
- Dutch: (please verify) ruw (nl)
- French: (please verify) dur (fr) m, (please verify) dure (fr) f
- Japanese: (please verify) 粗い (ja) (あらい, arai)
- Korean: (please verify) 가혹한 (gahokhan)
- Latin: (please verify) durus
- Scottish Gaelic: (please verify) borb, (please verify) garg, (please verify) cruaidh, (please verify) searbh
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Roman: (please verify) grub (sh)
Verb[edit]
harsh (third-person singular simple present harshes, present participle harshing, simple past and past participle harshed)
- (intransitive, slang) To negatively criticize.
-
Quit harshing me already, I said that I was sorry!
-
2008, An Na, The Fold:
-
Stop harshing on yourself. Who said you’re the ugly sister?
-
-
2009, Richard Powers, Gain:
-
“Stop harshing on me, Daddy.” “Harshing?” “Don’t yell at me. I didn’t do anything.”
-
-
- (transitive, slang) To put a damper on (a mood).
-
Dude, you’re harshing my buzz.
-
1999, Kurt Andersen, Turn of the century, page 508:
-
On their third date, Lizzie had actually said to him, «You’re sort of harshing my mellow.» It made him wonder if she might be stupid, and not just young.
-
-
2003, Robert Ludlum, The Janson Directive, page 355:
-
«They’re mostly mercenaries these days. But whose?» «Serbian mercenaries? You’re harshing my groove, man. I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that….»
-
-
2006, MaryJanice Davidson, Undead and Unpopular, page 776:
-
«Getting back to the issue of the child,» Tina said, harshing our buzz as usual, «I really think you should reconsider….»
-
-
2008, Kate William, Secrets — Page 70:
-
He’s totally harshing my vibe,» Lila said airily. «Someone should tell him to get over himself. He’s lucky I even invited him!»
-
-
Synonyms[edit]
- The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates
{{syn|en|...}}or{{ant|en|...}}.
- rough
Derived terms[edit]
- harsh one’s mellow
Translations[edit]
put a damper on someone’s mood
References[edit]
- ^ Krapp, George Philip (1925) The English Language in America[1], volume II, New York: Century Co. for the Modern Language Association of America, →OCLC, page 222.
- Top Definitions
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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.
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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
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. 2023
Words related to harsh
bitter, bleak, grim, hard, rigid, severe, sharp, strident, brutal, cruel, punitive, relentless, rude, ruthless, stern, stringent, tough, unkind, unpleasant, coarse
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.
-
They used sophisticated tools, made art, and established themselves in some very harsh environments.
-
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.
-
Between 29,000 and 14,000 years ago, a harsh Ice Age took hold.
-
His early prosecutorial appointments, however, do not show signs of worshipping a harsh Old Testament god.
-
Why, some might be asking, am I being so harsh on their work so soon after they died?
-
And, she added, “In other neighborhoods, I feel they are a little harsh.”
-
Your letter highlights so many of the harsh realities trans people face, specifically in regard to how society rejects us.
-
Your death is symbolic of the harsh reality facing so many of us.
-
But this was the year when criticism of said women finally got the harsh words it deserved.
-
Where these overtones are interfered with by any imperfection in the instrument the result is a harsh or imperfect sound.
-
A car conductor is instructed to treat passengers civilly and to use no harsh means with them, save in extreme cases.
-
In the humour her spouse was then in she had better have remained silent—she told him, that he was harsh and unjust.
-
“He hath told us already, Princess,” said the other, his harsh accents sounding more like the snarl of a wolf than a human voice.
-
He was considered a harsh Governor because his martial law administration was characterized by severe punishment for wrongdoing.
British Dictionary definitions for harsh
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
суровый, жесткий, резкий, грубый, строгий, терпкий, неприятный, шероховатый
прилагательное ↓
- грубый (на ощупь); жёсткий; шероховатый
of harsh texture — грубый на ощупь, шероховатый 
harsh substance — твёрдое вещество
harsh surface — шероховатая /неровная/ поверхность
harsh towel — грубое /суровое/ полотенце
harsh rind — грубая /толстая/ кожура
to feel harsh to the fingers — быть шероховатым на ощупь
- зазубренный
- резкий, неприятный (на вкус, на слух и т. п.)
harsh flavour [odour] — резкий привкус [запах]
harsh wine — терпкое вино
harsh voice [sound, laugh] — резкий голос [звук, смех]
harsh smoke — едкий дым
harsh contrast — разительный /резкий/ контраст
harsh to the taste — острый и терпкий на вкус; ≅ горло дерёт
harsh to the ear — режущий слух
- режущий глаз, ядовитый, раздражающий (о цвете, свете и т. п.)
a harsh combination of colours — неприятное сочетание цветов
harsh outlines — резкие очертания
harsh light — резкий /бьющий в глаза/ свет
- суровый, резкий (о климате и т. п.)
harsh climate [winter] — суровый климат [-ая зима]
harsh wind — жёсткий /резкий/ ветер
a harsh land — суровый край
- резкий, порывистый (о движении, действии и т. п.)
harsh running — неровный ход (двигателя)
- грубый, резкий (о выражениях и т. п.)
harsh words — резкие слова
harsh speech — резкая речь
they exchanged harsh words — они наговорили друг другу резкостей
- строгий, суровый; жестокий
harsh parent [man, nature] — строгий /суровый/ отец [человек, характер]
harsh faces [punishment] — суровые лица [-ое наказание]
harsh truth — горькая правда
to be harsh to smb. — быть суровым с кем-л.
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
Примеры с переводом
I was too harsh to him.
Я был чересчур резок с ним.
The climate there is very harsh.
Климат там — очень суровый.
Maybe it seems harsh to say.
Может быть, это грубовато звучит.
He’s too harsh with the children.
Он слишком строг с детьми.
He showed himself a harsh ruler.
Он оказался суровым правителем.
A harsh penetrating voice made me jump.
Резкий пронзительный голос заставил меня вздрогнуть.
Nowadays the family is seen as a refuge from a harsh world.
В наши дни семья рассматривается как спасение от жестокого окружающего мира.
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
The hostages are being held in harsh conditions. 
‘She’s an idiot!’ ‘Aren’t you being a bit harsh?’
She stood outside, blinking in the harsh sunlight.
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
harshness — резкость, жесткость, грубость
harshly — резко
harshen — становиться резким, делать резким
Формы слова
adjective
срав. степ. (comparative): harsher
прев. степ. (superlative): harshest