harsh
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- raucous, discordant, dissonant, grating, guttural, rasping, rough, strident
- severe, austere, cruel, Draconian, drastic, pitiless, punitive, ruthless, stern

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Antonyms: mild
Contrasted words: glossy, satiny, silken, silky, sleek, slick, velvety, mild, smooth, sweet, euphonious, harmonious, mellow, melodic, melodious, musical, sonorous, low, soft, agreeable, pleasing
Related Words: coarse, granular, loose, bristly, scraggly, scratchy, shaggy, stubbly, acerb, acerbic, biting, burning, mordant, pungent, tangy, dry, sour, tart, discordant, dissonant, immelodious, ineuphonious, inharmonious, unmelodious, unmusical, grinding, jangling, scraping, blaring, brassy, ear-piercing, piercing, shrill, squeaky

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English Thesaurus: bright, strong, brilliant, dazzling, blinding, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

harsh /hɑːʃ $ hɑːrʃ/ adjective
[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language]

1. CONDITIONS harsh conditions are difficult to live in and very uncomfortable Synonym : severe:
The hostages are being held in harsh conditions.
harsh winter/weather/climate
the harsh Canadian winters
a young girl suddenly exposed to the harsh realities of life

2. TREATMENT/CRITICISM severe, cruel, or unkind
harsh criticism/treatment/punishment etc
His theory met with harsh criticism from colleagues.
the harsh measures taken against the protesters
‘She’s an idiot!’ ‘Aren’t you being a bit harsh?’
a harsh authoritarian regime
He had harsh words (=severe criticism) for the Government.

3. SOUND unpleasantly loud and rough Antonym : soft
harsh voice/laugh/tone etc
His voice was harsh and menacing.

4. LIGHT/COLOUR unpleasantly bright Antonym : soft:
She stood outside, blinking in the harsh sunlight.

5. LINES/SHAPES ETC ugly and unpleasant to look at:
the harsh outline of the factories against the sky

6. CLEANING SUBSTANCE too strong and likely to damage the thing you are cleaning:
My skin is quite sensitive and I find some soaps too harsh.
—harshly adverb:
‘Shut up,’ Boris said harshly.
—harshness noun [uncountable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

harsh
adj.
VERBS appear, be, prove, seem, sound It may seem harsh to criticize him after his death.
become
ADV. exceptionally, extremely, particularly, very | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather, somewhat | unduly, unnecessarily He accused her of being unduly harsh. | surprisingly

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

bright shining strongly:
The sunshine was very bright.
the bright light of the torch
strong very bright:
Photographs fade if they are exposed to strong sunlight.
brilliant extremely bright, especially in a way that seems good:
The garden was full of brilliant autumn sunshine.
dazzling a dazzling light is so bright that it hurts your eyes and you cannot look at it:
dazzling headlights
the dazzling reflection from the mirror
blinding a blinding light is very bright and makes you unable to see for a short time after you have looked at it:
There was a sudden blinding light, followed by the sound of a huge explosion.
harsh a harsh light is bright and unpleasant:
In the harsh light of the kitchen, she looked older than she was.
good if the light is good in a place where you are working, it is bright enough for you to see what you are doing:
The light wasn’t good enough to read.
light bright because there are big windows:
The dining room was light and airy.
well-lit bright because there are plenty of electric lights:
Try to park in a well-lit place.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

strict a strict order or rule is one that must be obeyed:
There are strict rules about keeping tax records.
He had strict instructions to return the key to me.
tight tight controls or limits are very strict about what is allowed and what is not allowed:
The report recommends tighter controls on the advertising of alcohol.
There are tight regulations governing waste disposal.
tough tough laws or rules are very strict:
They want tougher laws against drinking and driving.
The federal government is introducing tough new rules on immigration.
harsh harsh punishments or laws are very severe, often too severe:
There are harsh penalties for drug trafficking.
The government has brought in harsh measures to combat the rioting taking place in many cities.
stringent controlling what people can do with rules that have very high standards:
There are now stringent controls on pollution from all power stations.
stringent new food safety regulations

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

strict expecting people to obey rules or to do what you say – used especially about parents, teachers, or organizations:
Our teachers were very strict.
Most schools are quite strict about the way students dress.
firm showing that you are in control of the situation and will not change your opinion, especially when you are telling someone what to do:
You have to be firm with young children.
I’ll be firm with him and tell him he can’t have any more money.
tough determined that your orders or decisions will be obeyed, especially in order to make sure that a situation improves – used especially when you think that someone is right to be strict:
We need a government that is tough on crime.
She can be quite tough with her students, but they respect her for it.
The chancellor has got to be tough and keep government spending down.
stern strict in a serious, disapproving, and rather unfriendly way:
Her grandfather was a stern man who rarely smiled.
Sheila walked into the museum, under the stern gaze of the curator.
harsh punishing or criticizing someone in a way that seems very severe, often too severe:
Don’t be too harsh on her – she’s only a child.
It may seem harsh to punish him, but he has to learn that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable.
Her reaction to the child’s bad behaviour was unnecessarily harsh.
authoritarian disapproving very strict about forcing people to obey rules or laws, and punishing them very severely if they fail to do this – used about people and governments:
Her father was very authoritarian and insisted on total obedience.
an authoritarian government
tight tight controls or limits are very strict about what is allowed and what is not allowed:
The report recommends tighter controls on the advertising of alcohol.
There are tight regulations governing waste disposal.
stringent controlling what people can do with rules that have very high standards:
There are now stringent controls on pollution from all power stations.
stringent new food safety regulations

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲