harsh

UK: /ˈhɑː^rʃ/ US: /hɑrʃ/ ,(härsh)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

harsh /hɑrʃ/   adj., -er, -est. 

1. not gentle or pleasant;
   severe:
   received harsh treatment.
2. grim;
   stern:
   a harsh master.
3. uncomfortable or irritating to the body or to the senses:
   harsh detergents.

harsh•ly, adv. 
harsh•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

harsh  (härsh), adj. 

1. ungentle and unpleasant in action or effect:
   harsh treatment; harsh manners.
2. grim or unpleasantly severe;
   stern;
   cruel;
   austere:
   a harsh life; a harsh master.
3. physically uncomfortable;
   desolate;
   stark:
   a harsh land.
4. unpleasant to the ear;
   grating;
   strident:
   a harsh voice; a harsh sound.
5. unpleasantly rough, ragged, or coarse to the touch:
   a harsh surface.
6. jarring to the eye or to the esthetic sense;
   unrefined;
   crude;
   raw:
   harsh colors.
7. unpleasant to the taste or sense of smell;
   bitter;
   acrid:
   a harsh flavor; a harsh odor.

• 1250–1300; Middle English harsk; cognate with German harsch, Danish harsk rancid

harsh′ly, adv. 
harsh′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 2. brusque, hard, unfeeling, unkind, brutal, acrimonious, bad-tempered. See stern ¹.
• 3. rough.
• 4. discordant, dissonant, unharmonious.
• 6. unesthetic.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

harsh / hɑːʃ/ adjective

1. rough or grating to the senses
2. stern, severe, or cruel

Etymology: 16th Century: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Middle Low German harsch, Norwegian harsk rancid

ˈharshly adverb

ˈharshness noun