harsh

• POS: Adjective
• COUNT in NET: 12 in 12 verses (in OT : 9 in 9 verses) (in NT : 3 in 3 verses)

CIDE DICTIONARY

harsh, a. [OE. harsk; akin to G. harsch, Dan. harsk rancid, Sw. härsk; from the same source as E. hard. See Hard, a.].

•  Rough; disagreeable; grating  [1913 Webster]
•  Unpleasant and repulsive to the sensibilities; austere; crabbed; morose; abusive; abusive; severe; rough.  [1913 Webster]

  "Clarence is so harsh, so blunt."  [1913 Webster]

  "Though harsh the precept, yet the preacher charmed."  [1913 Webster]
•  Having violent contrasts of color, or of light and shade; lacking in harmony.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

harsh, adj.
1 unpleasantly rough or sharp, esp. to the senses.
2 severe, cruel.

Derivative

harshen v.tr. & intr. harshly adv. harshness n.

Etymology

MLG harsch rough, lit. 'hairy', f. haer HAIR

THESAURUS

harsh

Doric, Draconian, Spartan, Spartanic, abrupt, absonant, abusive, acerb, acerbic, acid, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, acute, afflictive, aggressive, agonizing, ajar, amaroidal, asperous, astringent, atonal, atrocious, austere, authoritarian, barbaric, barbarous, bearish, beastly, bilious, biting, bitter, bitter as gall, blaring, bleak, bluff, blunt, blurred, bowelless, brash, brassy, brazen, breathy, bristly, brusque, brutal, brutish, burdensome, burning, cacophonous, caustic, cavalier, choked, choking, choleric, churlish, clashing, clumsy, coarse, colliding, comfortless, conflicting, confused, corrugated, cracked, cragged, craggy, cramping, crinkled, croaking, croaky, cross, crude, cruel, crumpled, crusty, curt, cutting, demanding, diaphonic, disagreeable, discomforting, disconsonant, discordant, discourteous, disharmonic, disharmonious, dissonant, distressing, dog-eat-dog, doggerel, double-edged, dour, drawling, drawly, dry, dysphemistic, dysphonic, ear-piercing, edged, escharotic, exacting, excruciating, exhausting, exigent, fierce, flat, flinty, gnawing, graceless, granular, grating, grave, gravelly, grim, grinding, griping, gross, grouchy, gruff, guttural, hairy, hard, harrowing, harsh-sounding, hawking, heartless, heavy, hoarse, hurtful, hurting, husky, immelodious, impolite, improper, impure, in bad taste, inarticulate, incisive, inclement, inconcinnate, inconcinnous, incongruous, incorrect, indecorous, indistinct, inelegant, inexorable, infelicitous, inharmonic, inharmonious, inhuman, intemperate, irascible, ironbound, irritating, jagged, jaggy, jangling, jangly, jarring, jostling, keen, lisping, loose, low, merciless, metallic, meticulous, mispronounced, mordacious, mordant, musicless, muzzy, nasal, nasty, nonmelodious, nose-tickling, off, off-color, off-key, off-tone, onerous, oppressive, out of pitch, out of tone, out of tune, outlandish, overburdensome, painful, paroxysmal, peevish, penetrating, petulant, piercing, piquant, pitiless, poignant, pungent, punishing, punitive, quavering, racking, ragged, rasping, raucid, raucous, relentless, remorseless, rigorous, rockbound, rocky, rough, roupy, rude, rugged, rugose, rugous, rusty, ruthless, sarcastic, saw-toothed, sawtooth, scabrous, scathing, scragged, scraggly, scraggy, scraping, scratchy, serrate, serrated, severe, shaggy, shaking, shaky, sharp, shooting, short, short-tempered, shrill, snagged, snaggled, snaggy, snippy, snuffling, sour, spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, splenetic, squawking, squawky, squeaky, stabbing, stark, stern, stertorous, stifled, stinging, stony, strangled, strict, strident, stridulous, stringent, stubbly, sullen, surly, tangy, tart, tasteless, thick, throaty, tinny, tormenting, torturous, tough, tremulous, trenchant, truculent, tuneless, twangy, tyrannical, tyrannous, uncivil, uncompassionate, uncompassioned, uncourtly, uncouth, undignified, uneuphonious, uneven, unfeeling, unfelicitous, unforgiving, unfriendly, ungentle, ungraceful, unharmonious, unkind, unlevel, unmelodious, unmerciful, unmusical, unpitiful, unpitying, unpleasant, unpolished, unrefined, unremorseful, unseemly, unsmooth, unsparing, unsympathetic, unsympathizing, untunable, untuned, untuneful, unyielding, vehement, velar, violent, virulent, vitriolic, vulgar, warring, waspish, wearing, wearying, weighty, without mercy, wrinkled

ROGET THESAURUS

harsh

Inelegance

N inelegance, stiffness, unlettered Muse, barbarism, slang, solecism, mannerism, euphuism, fustian, cacophony, words that break the teeth, words that dislocate the jaw, marinism, inelegant, graceless, ungraceful, harsh, abrupt, dry, stiff, cramped, formal, guinde, forced, labored, artificial, mannered, ponderous, awkward, uncourtly, unpolished, turgid, affected, euphuistic, barbarous, uncouth, grotesque, rude, crude, halting, offensive to ears polite, Spoken Language.

Severity

N severity, strictness, harshness, rigor, stringency, austerity, inclemency, arrogance, precisianism, arbitrary power, absolutism, despotism, dictatorship, autocracy, tyranny, domineering, oppression, assumption, usurpation, inquisition, reign of terror, martial law, iron heel, iron rule, iron hand, iron sway, tight grasp, brute force, brute strength, coercion, strong hand, tight hand, hard lines, hard measure, tender mercies, sharp practice, pipe-clay, officialism, tyrant, disciplinarian, precisian, martinet, stickler, bashaw, despot, hard master, Draco, oppressor, inquisitor, extortioner, harpy, vulture, accipitres, birds of prey, raptorials, raptors, severe, strict, hard, harsh, dour, rigid, stiff, stern, rigorous, uncompromising, exacting, exigent, exigeant, inexorable, inflexible, obdurate, austere, hard-headed, hard-nosed, hard-shell, relentless, Spartan, Draconian, stringent, strait-laced, searching, unsparing, iron-handed, peremptory, absolute, positive, arbitrary, imperative, coercive, tyrannical, extortionate, grinding, withering, oppressive, inquisitorial, inclement, cruel, haughty, arrogant, precisian, severely, with a high hand, with a strong hand, with a tight hand, with a heavy hand, at the point of the sword, at the point of the bayonet, Delirant reges plectuntur Achivi, manu forti, ogni debole ha sempre il suo tiranno.

Physical Energy

N energy, physical energy, force, power, keenness, intensity, vigor, strength, elasticity, go, high pressure, fire, rush, acrimony, acritude, causiticity, virulence, poignancy, harshness, severity, edge, point, pungency, cantharides, seasoning, activity, agitation, effervescence, ferment, fermentation, ebullition, splutter, perturbation, stir, bustle, voluntary energy, quicksilver, resolution, exertion, excitation, strong, energetic, forcible, active, intense, deep-dyed, severe, keen, vivid, sharp, acute, incisive, trenchant, brisk, rousing, irritation, poignant, virulent, caustic, corrosive, mordant, harsh, stringent, double-edged, double-shotted, double- distilled, drastic, escharotic, racy, potent, radioactive, strongly, fortiter in re, with telling effect, the steam is up, vires acquirit eundo, the race by vigor not by vaunts is won.

Painfulness

N painfulness, trouble, care, trial, affliction, infliction, blow, stroke, burden, load, curse, bitter pill, bitter draught, waters of bitterness, annoyance, grievance, nuisance, vexation, mortification, sickener, bore, bother, pother, hot water, sea of troubles, hornet's nest, plague, pest, cancer, ulcer, sting, thorn, canker, scorpion, dagger, scourge, carking care, canker worm of care, mishap, misfortune, desagrement, esclandre, rub, source of irritation, source of annoyance, wound, open sore, sore subject, skeleton in the closet, thorn in the flesh, thorn in one's side, where the shoe pinches, gall and wormwood, sorry sight, heavy news, provocation, affront, head and front of one's offending, infestation, molestation, malignity, causing pain, hurting, hurtful, painful, dolorific, dolorous, unpleasant, unpleasing, displeasing, disagreeable, unpalatable, bitter, distasteful, uninviting, unwelcome, undesirable, undesired, obnoxious, unacceptable, unpopular, thankless, unsatisfactory, untoward, unlucky, uncomfortable, distressing, afflicting, afflictive, joyless, cheerless, comfortless, dismal, disheartening, depressing, depressive, dreary, melancholy, grievous, piteous, woeful, rueful, mournful, deplorable, pitiable, lamentable, sad, affecting, touching, pathetic, irritating, provoking, stinging, annoying, aggravating, mortifying, galling, unaccommodating, invidious, vexatious, troublesome, tiresome, irksome, wearisome, plaguing, plaguy, awkward, importunate, teasing, pestering, bothering, harassing, worrying, tormenting, carking, intolerable, insufferable, insupportable, unbearable, unendurable, past bearing, not to be borne, not to be endured, more than flesh and blood can bear, enough to drive one mad, enough to provoke a saint, enough to make a parson swear, enough to gag a maggot, shocking, terrific, grim, appalling, crushing, dreadful, fearful, frightful, thrilling, tremendous, dire, heart-breaking, heart-rending, heart-wounding, heart-corroding, heart-sickening, harrowing, rending, odious, hateful, execrable, repulsive, repellent, abhorrent, horrid, horrible, horrific, horrifying, offensive, nauseous, nauseating, disgusting, sickening, revolting, nasty, loathsome, loathful, fulsome, vile, hideous, sharp, acute, sore, severe, grave, hard, harsh, cruel, biting, caustic, cutting, corroding, consuming, racking, excruciating, searching, grinding, grating, agonizing, envenomed, catheretic, pyrotic, ruinous, disastrous, calamitous, tragical, desolating, withering, burdensome, onerous, oppressive, cumbrous, cumbersome, painfully, with pain, deuced, Int, hinc illae lachrymae!, surgit amari aliquid, the place being too hot to hold one, the iron entering into the soul, he jests at scars that never felt a wound, I must be cruel only to be kind, what deep wounds ever closed without a scar?.

Discourtesy

N discourtesy, ill breeding, ill manners, bad manners, ungainly manners, insuavity, uncourteousness rusticity, inurbanity, illiberality, incivility displacency, disrespect, procacity, impudence: barbarism, barbarity, misbehavior, brutality, blackguardism, conduct unbecoming a gentleman, grossieret_e, brusquerie, vulgarity, churlishness, spinosity, perversity, moroseness, sternness, austerity, moodishness, captiousness, cynicism, tartness, acrimony, acerbity, virulence, asperity, scowl, black looks, frown, short answer, rebuff, hard words, contumely, unparliamentary language, personality, bear, bruin, brute, blackguard, beast, unlicked cub, frump, crosspatch, saucebox, crooked stick, grizzly, discourteous, uncourteous, uncourtly, ill-bred, ill-mannered, ill-behaved, ill-conditioned, unbred, unmannerly, unmannered, impolite, unpolite, unpolished, uncivilized, ungenteel, ungentleman-like, ungentlemanly, unladylike, blackguard, vulgar, dedecorous, foul- mouthed foul-spoken, abusive, uncivil, ungracious, unceremonious, cool, pert, forward, obtrusive, impudent, rude, saucy, precocious, repulsive, uncomplaisant, unaccommodating, unneighborly, ungallant, inaffable, ungentle, ungainly, rough, rugged, bluff, blunt, gruff, churlish, boorish, bearish, brutal, brusque, stern, harsh, austere, cavalier, taint, sour, crabbed, sharp, short, trenchant, sarcastic, biting, doggish, caustic, virulent, bitter, acrimonious, venomous, contumelious, snarling, surly, surly as a bear, perverse, grim, sullen, peevish, untactful, impolitic, undiplomatic, artless, discourteously, with discourtesy, with a bad grace.

Malevolence

N malevolence, bad intent, bad intention, unkindness, diskindness, ill nature, ill will, ill blood, bad blood, enmity, hate, malignity, malice, malice prepense, maliciousness, spite, despite, resentment, uncharitableness, incompassionateness, gall, venom, rancor, rankling, virulence, mordacity, acerbity churlishness, hardness of heart, heart of stone, obduracy, cruelty, cruelness, brutality, savagery, ferity, ferocity, barbarity, inhumanity, immanity, truculence, ruffianism, evil eye, cloven foot, torture, vivisection, ill turn, bad turn, affront, outrage, atrocity, ill usage, intolerance, persecution, tender mercies, unkindest cut of all, malevolent, unbenevolent, unbenign, ill-disposed, ill-intentioned, ill-natured, ill-conditioned, ill-contrived, evil-minded, evil- disposed, black-browed, malicious, malign, malignant, rancorous, despiteful, spiteful, mordacious, caustic, bitter, envenomed, acrimonious, virulent, unamiable, uncharitable, maleficent, venomous, grinding, galling, harsh, disobliging, unkind, unfriendly, ungracious, inofficious, invidious, uncandid, churlish, surly, sullen, cold, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, black-hearted, hard-hearted, flint-hearted, marble-hearted, stony-hearted, hard of heart, unnatural, ruthless, relentless, cruel, brutal, brutish, savage, savage as a bear, savage as a tiger, ferine, ferocious, inhuman, barbarous, barbaric, semibarbaric, fell, untamed, tameless, truculent, incendiary, bloodthirsty, atrocious, bloodyminded, fiendish, fiendlike, demoniacal, diabolic, diabolical, devilish, infernal, hellish, Satanic, Tartaran, malevolently, with bad intent, cruel as death, hard unkindness' alter'd eye, homo homini lupus, mala mens, malus animus, rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind, sharp-tooth'd unkindness.

Pitilessness

N pitilessness, inclemency, severity, malevolence, pitiless, merciless, ruthless, bowelless, unpitying, unmerciful, inclement, grim-faced, grim-visaged, incompassionate, uncompassionate, inexorable, harsh, unrelenting.

Acridity

N acridity, astringency, bite, tear gas, smoke, acrid fumes, acrid, biting, astringent, sharp, harsh, bitter, (5) Sound (i) SOUND IN GENERAL.

Stridor

N stridor, creak, creaking, discord, stridor, roughness, sharpness cacophony, cacoepy, acute note, high note, soprano, treble, tenor, alto, falsetto, penny trumpet, voce di testa, creaking, stridulous, harsh, coarse, hoarse, horrisonous, rough, gruff, grum, sepulchral, hollow, sharp, high, acute, shrill, trumpet-toned, piercing, ear-piercing, high-pitched, high-toned, cracked, discordant, cacophonous.

Discord

N discord, disagreement, discord, disaccord, dissidence, dissonance, jar, clash, shock, jarring, jostling, screw loose, variance, difference, dissension, misunderstanding, cross purposes, odds, brouillerie, division, split, rupture, disruption, division in the camp, house divided against itself, disunion, breach, schism, feud, faction, quarrel, dispute, tiff, tracasserie, squabble, altercation, barney, demel_e, snarl, spat, towrow, words, high words, wrangling, jangle, brabble, cross questions and crooked answers, snip-snap, family jars, polemics, litigation, strife, warfare, outbreak, open rupture, declaration of war, broil, brawl, row, racket, hubbub, rixation, embroilment, embranglement, imbroglio, fracas, breach of the peace, piece of work, scrimmage, rumpus, breeze, squall, riot, disturbance, commotion, bear garden, Donnybrook, Donnybrook Fair, subject of dispute, ground of quarrel, battle ground, disputed point, bone of contention, bone to pick, apple of discord, casus belli, question at issue, vexed question, vexata quaestio, brand of discord, troublous times, cat-and-dog life, contentiousness, enmity, hate, Kilkenny cats, disputant, strange bedfellows, discordant, disagreeing, out of tune, ajar, on bad terms, dissentient, unreconciled, unpacified, contentious, quarrelsome, unpacific, gladiatorial, controversial, polemic, disputatious, factious, litigious, litigant, pettifogging, at odds, at loggerheads, at daggers drawn, at variance, at issue, at cross purposes, at sixes and sevens, at feud, at high words, up in arms, together by the ears, in hot water, embroiled, torn, disunited, quot homines tot sententiae, no love lost between them, non nostrum tantas componere lites, Mars gravior sub pace latet, discord, discordance, dissonance, cacophony, want of harmony, caterwauling, harshness, Babel, Dutch concert, cat's concert, marrowbones and cleavers, discordant, dissonant, absonant, out of tune, tuneless, unmusical, untunable, unmelodious, immelodious, unharmonious, inharmonious, singsong, cacophonous, harsh, jarring.