In this harsh, petty world where money does the talking, his way of life is like a breath of fresh air.
Source: tatoeba (18627)
Harsh
//hɑɹʃ//
Synonyms for "harsh" (427 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (86)
brusquecoarsedisagreeableheavyrigorousroughstrictunkindunpleasantabruptabsonantabusiveacerbacerbicacidacidulousacridacrimoniousacuteafflictive
Show 56 more words
aggressiveagonizingajaramaroidalasperousastringentatonalatrociousaustereauthoritarianbarbaricbarbarousbearishbeastlybiliousbitingbitterbitter as gallblaringbleakbluffbluntblurredbowellessbrashbrassybrazenbreathybristlybrittlebrutalbrutishburdensomeburningcacophonouscausticcavalierchokedchokingcholericchurlishclashingclumsycollidingcomfortlessconflictingconfusedcorrugatedcrackedcraggedcraggycrampingcrinkledcroakingcroakycross
Strong matches (128)
crudecruelcrumpledcrustycurtcuttingdemandingdiaphonicdiscomfortingdisconsonantdiscordantdiscourteousdisharmonicdisharmoniousdissonantdistressingdog-eat-dogdoggereldomineeringdoric
Show 85 more words
double edgeddouble-edgeddourdraconiandrasticdrawlingdrawlydrydysphemisticdysphonicear-piercingedgedescharoticexactingexcruciatingexhaustingexigentextremefierceflatflintyfullgarishgauntglaringgnawinggracelessgranulargratinggravegravellygrimgrindinggripinggrossgrouchygruffgutturalhairyhardharrowingharsh-soundinghawkingheartlessheavy handedheavy-handedhoarsehurtfulhurtinghuskyimmelodiousimperativeimpoliteimproperimpurein bad tasteinarticulateincisiveinclementinconcinnateinconcinnousincongruousincorrectindecorousindistinctinelegantinexorableinfelicitousinharmonicinharmoniousinhumaninjuriousintemperateintenseirascibleironboundirritatingjaggedjaggyjanglingjanglyjarringjostlingkeenlisping
Related words (213)
looseloudlowmercilessmetallicmeticulousmispronouncedmordaciousmordantmusiclessmuzzynasalnastynoisynonmelodiousnose ticklingnose-ticklingoffoff coloroff key
Show 165 more words
off-coloroff-keyoff-toneonerousoppressiveout of pitchout of toneout of tuneoutlandishoverburdensomeovercriticalpainfulparoxysmalpeevishpenetratingpetulantpiercingpiquantpitilesspoignantpungentpunishingpunitivequaveringrackingraggedraspingraspyraucidraucousrelentlessremorselessrigidrockboundrockyroupyruderuggedrugoserugousrustyruthlesssarcasticsavagesaw toothedsaw-toothedsawtoothscabrousscathingscorchingscraggedscragglyscraggyscrapingscratchyserrateserratedsevereshaggyshakingshakysharpshootingshortshort-temperedshrillsnaggedsnaggledsnaggysnippysnufflingsourspartanspartanicspasmaticspasmicspasmodicspleneticsquawkingsquawkysqueakystabbingstarksternstertorousstiffstifledstingingstonystrangledstridentstridulousstringentstrongstubblysullensurlyswingeingtangytarttastelessthickthroatytighttinnytormentingtorturoustoughtremuloustrenchanttruculenttunelesstwangytyrannicaltyrannousunciviluncomfortableuncompassionateuncompassioneduncourtlyuncouthundignifieduneuphoniousunevenunfeelingunfelicitousunflatteringunforgivingunfriendlyungentleungracefulunharmoniousunlevelunmelodiousunmercifulunmusicalunpitifulunpityingunpolishedunrefinedunremorsefulunseemlyunsmoothunsparingunsympatheticunsympathizinguntunableuntuneduntunefulunyieldingvehementvelarviolentvirulentvitriolicvituperativevulgarwarringwaspishwearingwearyingweightywildwithout mercywrinkled
Adjective(26 words)
meanobnoxiousobtrusiveraspyrigorousrockheartedroughruggedrugosesalebrousscabrousscraggysevereshaggedsquarrosesternstoneheartedstonystonyheartedstrict
Show 6 more words
Adjective(1 words)
Verb(1 words)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
Antonyms
1 entriesSynonyms
5 entriesderived
9 entrieshas context
1 entriesrelated to
6 entriessimilar
23 entriesShowing 16 of 23 words.
Translations
155 translations across 43 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- rrept adj (rough)
Ancient Greek
2 entries- χαλεπός adj (severe or cruel)
- ἀμείλικτος adj (severe or cruel)
Armenian
1 entries- դաժան adj (severe or cruel)
Aromanian
1 entries- ascuru adj (rough)
Asturian
1 entries- severu adj (severe or cruel)
Bulgarian
4 entries- груб adj (rough)
- остър adj (rough)
- рязък adj (severe or cruel)
- суров adj (severe or cruel)
Catalan
4 entries- aspre adj (rough)
- sever adj (severe or cruel)
- severa adj (severe or cruel)
- criticar verb (negatively criticize)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 嚴格 /严格 adj (severe or cruel)
- 粗暴 adj (rough)
Czech
1 entries- hrubý adj (rough)
Danish
3 entries- grov adj (rough)
- grov adj (severe or cruel)
- ru adj (rough)
Dutch
4 entries- grof adj (rough)
- ruw adj (rough)
- wreed adj (severe or cruel)
- zwaar adj (severe or cruel)
Finnish
4 entries- ankara adj (severe or cruel)
- julma adj (severe or cruel)
- karkea adj (rough)
- kova adj (rough)
French
4 entries- cruel adj (severe or cruel)
- rude adj (rough)
- sévère adj (rough)
- sévère adj (severe or cruel)
Galician
4 entries- cru adj (severe or cruel)
- esgrevio adj (rough)
- fero adj (severe or cruel)
- severo adj (severe or cruel)
German
4 entries- grell adj (severe or cruel)
- harsch adj (rough)
- harsch adj (severe or cruel)
- hart adj (severe or cruel)
Greek
2 entries- σκληρός adj (severe or cruel)
- τραχύς adj (rough)
Hindi
1 entries- क्रूर adj (severe or cruel)
Indonesian
1 entries- kasar adj (rough)
Ingrian
4 entries- kova adj (rough)
- raju adj (rough)
- valjo adj (rough)
- valjo adj (severe or cruel)
Irish
1 entries- garg adj (rough)
Italian
4 entries- accidentato adj (rough)
- aspro adj (rough)
- crudele adj (severe or cruel)
- discordante adj (rough)
Japanese
1 entries- 粗悪 adj (rough)
Korean
2 entries- 거칠다 adj (rough)
- 냉혹하다 adj (severe or cruel)
Latin
4 entries- acerbus adj (severe or cruel)
- asper adj (rough)
- immītis adj (rough)
- inclēmēns adj (severe or cruel)
Latvian
2 entries- raupjš adj (rough)
- rupjš adj (rough)
Māori
4 entries- kakawa adj (rough)
- kakawa adj (severe or cruel)
- taimaha adj (severe or cruel)
- taumaha adj (severe or cruel)
Occitan
4 entries- aspre adj (rough)
- rude adj (rough)
- sevèr adj (severe or cruel)
- criticar verb (negatively criticize)
Old English
2 entries- āfor adj (rough)
- āfor adj (severe or cruel)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- آجی adj (severe or cruel)
Persian
1 entries- زمخت adj (rough)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- ruch adj (rough)
Polish
3 entries- bezwzględny adj (severe or cruel)
- szorstki adj (rough)
- szorstki adj (severe or cruel)
Portuguese
4 entries- cruel adj (severe or cruel)
- duro adj (severe or cruel)
- grosseiro adj (severe or cruel)
- grosso adj (severe or cruel)
Romanian
3 entries- aspru adj (rough)
- aspru adj (severe or cruel)
- sever adj (severe or cruel)
Russian
4 entries- гру́бый adj (rough)
- гру́бый adj (severe or cruel)
- жёсткий adj (rough)
- зазубренный adj (rough)
Sanskrit
1 entries- दारुण adj (severe or cruel)
Spanish
4 entries- adusto adj (severe or cruel)
- cruel adj (severe or cruel)
- desalmado adj (severe or cruel)
- duro adj (severe or cruel)
Sundanese
1 entries- loma adj (rough)
Swahili
4 entries- mkali adj (rough)
- mkali adj (severe or cruel)
- mkali verb (negatively criticize)
- mkali verb (put a damper on someone's mood)
Swedish
1 entries- sträv adj (rough)
Turkish
4 entries- gaddar adj (severe or cruel)
- haşin adj (severe or cruel)
- sert adj (rough)
- zorlu adj (severe or cruel)
Ukrainian
4 entries- гру́бий adj (rough)
- жорстки́й adj (severe or cruel)
- різки́й adj (rough)
- суво́рий adj (rough)
Volapük
1 entries- sevärik adj (severe or cruel)
Sample sentences
26 total sentences available.
I stepped outside and was bathed in the harsh, direct sunlight.
Source: tatoeba (22019)
The tundra has a harsh climate.
Source: tatoeba (39741)
I didn't mean to sound so harsh.
Source: tatoeba (41514)
Showing 4 of 26 available sentences.
Keep exploring
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.