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harsh

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of harsh

1 difficult to endure

  • harsh conditions in the refugee camp
Synonyms of harsh

bitter, brutal, burdensome, cruel, excruciating, grievous, grim, hard, hardhanded, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, searing, severe, stiff, tough, trying
Words Related to harsh

austere, bleak, comfortless, discomforting, forbidding, inhospitable, spartan, uncomfortable

biting, inclement, intemperate, wild

rigorous, strict, stringent

agonizing, heartbreaking, heartrending, painful, wretched

crushing, grinding, overwhelming, wearing

insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable

harrowing, tortuous

bad, disagreeable, hostile, unfriendly, unpleasant
Near Antonyms of harsh

comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug

agreeable, friendly, genial, hospitable, pleasant

peaceful, relaxing, reposeful, restful

bearable, endurable, painless, tolerable

balmy, calm, clement, gentle, mild, moderate, temperate
Antonyms of harsh

easy, light, soft

2 disagreeable to oneʼs aesthetic or artistic sense

  • the harsh lighting in the cafeteria makes the food look slightly off-color
Synonyms of harsh

grating, grotesque, jarring, unaesthetic
Words Related to harsh

acid, flashy, garish, gaudy, loud, tawdry

tacky, tasteless, vulgar

inartistic, unartistic

artless, clumsy, crude, graceless, inelegant, rude

uncouth, uncultured, unrefined

disgusting, gross, obscene, repugnant, repulsive, ugly

disagreeable, jolting, unpleasant, unpleasing

blaring, clashing, discordant, disharmonious, dissonant, inharmonious, jangling, off-key, ragged, raspy, raucous, unmelodious, unmusical

bizarre, kinky, odd, outlandish, shocking
Near Antonyms of harsh

artful, artistic

attractive, beautiful, becoming, comely

agreeable, appealing, felicitous, good, harmonious, harmonizing, pleasing, seemly

calming, comforting, soothing

softened, subdued

cultured, elegant, graceful, gracious, polished, refined, tasteful
Antonyms of harsh

aesthetic (also esthetic)

3 causing discomfort

  • the harsh northern climate
Synonyms of harsh

comfortless, discomforting, uncomfortable
Words Related to harsh

aching, hurting, miserable, nasty, painful, sore

agonizing, excruciating, torturous

distressing, disturbing, upsetting

awkward, cumbersome, inconvenient, ungainly

uneasy

chafing, cramping, itching, pinching, pricking, prickling, smarting, stinging
Near Antonyms of harsh

easy, soothing

cozy, cushy, snug, soft

easeful, relaxing, reposeful, restful
Antonyms of harsh

comfortable, comfy

4 given to exacting standards of discipline and self-restraint

  • a harsh judge when it comes to drug users and especially drug dealers
Synonyms of harsh

austere, authoritarian, flinty, hard, heavy-handed, ramrod, rigid, rigorous, severe, stern, strict, tough
Words Related to harsh

demanding, exacting

uncharitable, unforgiving

adamant, adamantine, callous, hardened, hard-hearted, hard-line, immovable, implacable, inflexible, merciless, ossified, pitiless, relentless, rock-ribbed, stiff, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unsparing, unyielding

dour, gruff

ascetic (also ascetical), monastic, monkish

browbeating, bullying

determined, firm, resolved, single-minded, steadfast, unflinching

dogged, intractable, obstinate, relentless
Near Antonyms of harsh

easy, easygoing, laid-back, undemanding

charitable, kind, merciful, mild, patient, soft, softhearted

accepting, compromising, yielding

responsive, willing

acquiescent, agreeable, amenable, complaisant, compliant, flexible, pliable, pliant
Antonyms of harsh

clement, forbearing, gentle, indulgent, lax, lenient, tolerant

5 hard to accept or bear especially emotionally

  • the harsh reality of failure
  • harsh words of criticism from her music teacher
Synonyms of harsh

afflicting, agonizing, bitter, cruel, excruciating, galling, grievous, harrowing, heartrending, hurtful, painful, tormenting, torturous
Words Related to harsh

insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unacceptable, unbearable, unendurable, unsupportable

appalling, awful, bad, dire, dreadful, ghastly, horrible, miserable, nasty, rotten, severe, terrible, vile, wretched

acute, extreme, intense, piercing
Near Antonyms of harsh

bearable, endurable, supportable, sustainable, tolerable

livable (also liveable), sufferable, survivable

acceptable, allowable, reasonable
Antonyms of harsh

gratifying, pleasing, sweet

6 not giving pleasure to the mind or senses

  • winced at the harsh sound that the beginner violinist was making
Synonyms of harsh

bad, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, icky, nasty, rotten, sour, uncongenial, unlovely, unpalatable, unpleasant, unpleasing, unsavory, unwelcome, wicked, yucky (also yukky)
Words Related to harsh

abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, beastly, bilious, disgusting, dreadful, foul, ghastly, gnarly [slang], god-awful, gross, hateful, hellish, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, invidious, loathsome, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, repellent (also repellant), repugnant, repulsive, revolting, revulsive, scandalous, seamy, shocking, sick, sickening, ugly, unholy, vile, villainous

aggravating, annoying, galling, irritating, vexing

crappy [slang], cruddy, crummy (also crumby), lousy, miserable, sucky [slang], wretched
Near Antonyms of harsh

delectable, delicious, delightful, dreamy, felicitous

amiable, charming, cheery, friendly, jolly, kindly, sweet
Antonyms of harsh

agreeable, congenial, good, grateful, gratifying, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome

Synonym Discussion of harsh

rough, harsh, uneven, rugged, scabrous mean not smooth or even. rough implies points, bristles, ridges, or projections on the surface.
    • a rough wooden board
harsh implies a surface or texture distinctly unpleasant to the touch.
    • a harsh fabric that chafes the skin
uneven implies a lack of uniformity in height, breadth, or quality.
    • an old house with uneven floors
rugged implies irregularity or roughness of land surface and connotes difficulty of travel.
    • a rugged landscape
scabrous implies scaliness or prickliness of surface.
    • a scabrous leaf

Learn More about harsh

  1. See words that rhyme with harsh Dictionary: Definition of harsh Spanish Central: Translation of harsh Nglish: Translation of harsh for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of harsh for Arabic speakers

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