Meaning

Unpleasantly rough to the touch or other senses..

Definitions by Sense

1. Unpleasantly rough to the touch or other senses.
2. Severe or cruel.
3. (ambitransitive, slang) To negatively criticize.
4. (ambitransitive, slang) To put a damper on (a mood).

Example Sentences

harsh decision

harsh penalty

harsh teacher

harsh rule

harsh ruling

Partly because of the heavy burden of government debt built up during his stewardship, and the uncurbed recklessness of the country’s banks, Britain’s recession is already the harshest in Western Europe.

There were harsher comments from Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas: "The negotiations are in a state of paralysis, and the result of Israel's intransigence and America's backpedalling is that there is no hope of negotiations on the horizon."

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.

Word Forms

• harsher
• more harsh
• harshest
• most harsh
• harshes
• harshing
• harshed

Synonyms for harsh

Antonyms for harsh

Related Words

When Should You Use Harsh?

Use harsh when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions