Antonyms for harsh
| Grammar : Adj |
| Spell : hahrsh |
| Phonetic Transcription : hɑrʃ |
Definition of harsh
Origin :- originally of texture, "hairy," 1530s, probably from harske "rough, coarse, sour" (c.1300), a northern word of Scandinavian origin (cf. Danish and Norwegian harsk "rancid, rank"), related to Middle Low German harsch "rough, raw," German harst "a rake;" perhaps from PIE root *kars- "to scrape, scratch, rub, card" (cf. Lithuanian karsiu "to comb," Old Church Slavonic krasta, Russian korosta "to itch," Latin carduus "thistle," Sanskrit kasati "rubs, scratches"). Meaning "offensive to feelings" is from 1570s; "disagreeable, rude" from 1610s.
- adj rough, crude (to the senses)
- adj nasty, abusive
- The Castle of Villefranche was harsh and stern as its master.
- Extract from : « The White Company » by Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Inspector's harsh voice brought out the words boastfully.
- Extract from : « Within the Law » by Marvin Dana
- His dreams were all of escape from this grinding, harsh farm.
- Extract from : « Dust » by Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
- He perceived that he had become the victim of a harsh and ruthless dealing.
- Extract from : « Meadow Grass » by Alice Brown
- Yes, he has been so harsh to you; but it is his nature, he is so to every one, and you are not the only one whom he has bullied.
- Extract from : « The Black Tulip » by Alexandre Dumas (Pere)
- At these words the other broke into a short, harsh roar of laughter.
- Extract from : « The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood » by Howard Pyle
- Blackguard is a harsh word; but what other will express the idea?
- Extract from : « Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10) » by Maria Edgeworth
- Even when there were sounds of sorrow among the rest, they were not harsh nor cruel.
- Extract from : « A Tale of Two Cities » by Charles Dickens
- All this he did, methodically, and with as loud and harsh an accompaniment of noise as he could make.
- Extract from : « A Tale of Two Cities » by Charles Dickens
- I only saw him once, but the gleam in his eyes was as harsh and trenchant as that of a knife.
- Extract from : « The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete » by Emile Zola
Synonyms for harsh
- acrid
- asperous
- astringent
- austere
- bitter
- bleak
- brutal
- cacophonous
- caterwauling
- clashing
- coarse
- comfortless
- cracked
- craggy
- creaking
- croaking
- cruel
- cussed
- disagreeing
- discordant
- discourteous
- dissonant
- disturbing
- dour
- earsplitting
- flat
- glaring
- grating
- grim
- gruff
- guttural
- hairy
- hard
- hard-boiled
- hard-nosed
- hard-shell
- hoarse
- incompatible
- jagged
- jangling
- jarring
- mean
- noisy
- not smooth
- off-key
- out-of-key
- out-of-tune
- pitiless
- punitive
- rasping
- raucous
- relentless
- rigid
- rude
- rugged
- rusty
- ruthless
- screeching
- severe
- sharp
- sour
- stern
- strident
- stridulous
- stringent
- tough
- tuneless
- uncivil
- uneven
- unfeeling
- ungracious
- unkind
- unlevel
- unmelodious
- unmusical
- unpleasant
- unrelenting
- wicked
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019