harsh

harsh [ harʃ ] adjective **

▸ 1 difficult to live in

▸ 2 about actions/words

▸ 3 facts: unpleasant & true

▸ 4 about sounds/lights etc.

▸ 5 substances: damaging

1. ) harsh conditions or places are unpleasant and difficult to live in:

the harsh environment of the desert

Ilie remembers the harsh living conditions in Romania.

a ) harsh weather is extremely cold and unpleasant

2. ) harsh actions, words, judgments, or laws are strict, unkind, and often unfair:

Harsh words were spoken in the dressing room after the game.

I think the sentence was far too harsh.

harsh on: The law has been harsher on soldiers than it has on civilians.

3. ) harsh facts are unpleasant but true:

This was Tim's first experience of the harsh realities of life.

4. ) harsh sounds are unpleasant because they are not soft, gentle, or smooth:

He had a loud harsh voice.

a ) harsh colors or lights are not pleasant because they are very bright:

the harsh glare of a naked light bulb

5. ) harsh substances are very powerful and may damage the things they are used on:

harsh cleaning chemicals

╾ harsh|ly adverb