harsh

adjective

The definition of harsh is someone or something unpleasant to the senses or feelings, or someone who is crude or extremely cruel.

An example of harsh is walking outside to the bright sun after being in a dark room for a long time.
An example of harsh is a performer being told by a critic that they're not talented.

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"harsh." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/HARSH>.

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harsh. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/HARSH

harsh

unpleasantly sharp or rough; specif.,
1. grating to the ear; discordant
2. too bright or vivid to the eye; glaring
3. too strong to the taste; bitter
4. not smooth to the touch; coarse
so unpleasantly crude, abrupt, or strained as to be offensive to the mind or feelings: the harsh realities of war
rough, crude, or forbidding in appearance: beneath his harsh exterior
excessively severe; cruel or unfeeling: a harsh punishment
oppressive, inhospitable, inclement, etc.: a harsh climate

Origin of harsh

Middle English harsk, akin to German harsch, rough, raw from Indo-European base an unverified form kars, to scratch, comb from source Classical Latin carduus, thistle, carrere, to card (wool)

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MLA Style

"harsh." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/HARSH>.

APA Style

harsh. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/HARSH

harsh

adjective

harsh·er, harsh·est

Disagreeable to one of the senses, as:
a. Disagreeable to the sense of hearing: a harsh voice.
b. Disagreeable to the sense of sight: harsh lighting.
c. Unpleasantly coarse and rough to the touch: harsh burlap.
Unpleasant, uncomfortable, or hostile to survival: a harsh wilderness; a harsh winter.
Severe, cruel, or exacting: harsh punishment; a harsh overseer.
Disagreeable to the mind or feelings: harsh words.
Expressing displeasure or disapproval: gave me a harsh look.

Origin of harsh

Middle English harsk of Scandinavian origin

Related Forms:

harsh′ly
adverb

harsh′ness
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"harsh." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/HARSH>.

APA Style

harsh. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/HARSH

Adjective

(comparative harsher, superlative harshest)

Unpleasantly rough to the touch or other senses.
Severe or cruel.

Antonyms

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. Use the template {{sense|"gloss"}}, substituting a short version of the definition for "gloss".

genteel

Verb

(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!
(slang) to put a damper on (a mood).
Dude, you're harshing my buzz.

Origin

From Middle English, from Middle Low German harsch (“rough”), literally "hairy," from haer (“hair”). Cognate with German harsch.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.