harsh
harsh Lexical Profile
harsh Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses, such as a grating sound, glaring light, or coarse texture.
"The harsh fluorescent lighting in the hallway made everyone squint."
Cruel, severe, or unmerciful in judgment, treatment, or discipline.
"The critic's harsh review of the debut novel discouraged the young author."
Extremely rigorous, bleak, and difficult to endure, especially regarding climate, weather, or living conditions.
"Only hardy shrubs can survive the harsh winters of the northern tundra."
• verb
North American To spoil, ruin, or dampen an enjoyable mood or atmosphere, or to criticize someone severely (informal).
"Complaining about the schedule right now is only going to harsh the relaxed mood of the trip."
• Rhymes for harsh
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English harsk ('rough, coarse, sour'), borrowed from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse harskr and Danish harsk ('rancid, rough'), cognate with Middle Low German harsch.