harsh

adjective

1. 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
2. unpleasantly crude, abrupt, or strained so as to be offensive to the mind or feelings: the harsh realities of death
3. rough, crude, or forbidding in appearance: beneath his harsh exterior
4. excessively severe; cruel or unfeeling: a harsh punishment
5. oppressive, inhospitable, inclement, etc.: a harsh climate

Origin: ME harsk, akin to Ger harsch, rough, raw < IE base *kars, to scratch, comb > L carduus, thistle, carrere, to card (wool)