Synonyms of harshly

harshly

adverb

as in severely

in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering

treated the prisoners harshly, and many died

Synonyms & Similar Words

• severely
• oppressively
• brutally
• hard
• sternly
• stiffly
• ill
• strongly
• abusively
• roughly
• aggressively
• ruthlessly
• mercilessly
• grimly
• pitilessly
• unmercifully
• viciously
• heartlessly
• savagely
• insensitively
• hardly
• unsparingly
• firmly
• inhumanely
• inhumanly
• tyrannically
• uncharitably
• callously
• unfeelingly
• obdurately
• brutishly
• toughly
• resolutely
• determinedly
• cold-bloodedly
• assertively
• insensately
• gruffly
• decidedly
• hard-heartedly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lightly
• gently
• softly
• leniently
• mildly
• tenderly
• kindly
• lovingly
• graciously
• cordially
• benevolently
• considerately
• sympathetically
• compassionately
• clemently
• mercifully
• humanely
• understandingly
• charitably
• benignantly
• tolerantly
• softheartedly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of harshly

Yet others — particularly those who identify as Jews through ethnic, cultural or family ties, rather than religion — feel less connected to Israel and judge its actions in the ongoing conflict more harshly. — David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

The Street graded Meta’s capital expenditure intentions more harshly relative to its hyperscaler peers ( Amazon , Microsoft , and Alphabet ), as monetization of that spend would depend almost entirely on internal demand for compute. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 8 July 2026

Balogun, after all, had done and said all the right things, acting with restraint and humility, despite having been harshly sent off. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 7 July 2026

Always use gentle, soft tools like an old toothbrush to scrub away grime in tough corners or nooks, but avoid scrubbing harshly. — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 5 July 2026

Overthinking and procrastination are two of the habits people confess to most readily and blame on themselves most harshly, and two of the habits most often misread. — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

That can be useful because jurors can be more reluctant to sentence a woman harshly, writes Victor Streib, a law professor at Elon University in North Carolina who has researched the treatment of women on death row. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 29 June 2026

By the end of the third Avatar movie, the RDA is the one being judged (harshly) by the nightmare-inducing cephalopods. — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 24 June 2026

But its conditions have been harshly criticized by l awyers, families and human rights groups, who have persistently denounced the mistreatment of detainees since the center opened 11 months ago, during the Atlantic hurricane season. — ABC News, 17 June 2026