harsh

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /hɑɹʃ/ UK /hɑːʃ/ See IPA manual

Freq #4684

Meanings

1

adj
Cruel, unkind, or severe.

The judge gave him a harsh penalty for a minor crime.
2

adj
Unpleasant to the senses; rough or sharp.

The harsh light made it hard to read the screen.
3

adj
Difficult and unpleasant to live in.

Few plants can survive in such a harsh climate.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · cruel, unkind, or severe. cruel severe brutal

2 adj · unpleasant to the senses;... abrasive

3 adj · difficult and unpleasant to... rough

Word family

Forms harsherharshest

Derived forms harshenharshishharshly harshnessoverharshunharsh

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

harsh language
Words that express severe criticism, anger, or unkindness.

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Harsh entered English in the Middle English period from Middle Low German harsch, meaning “rough.” Harsch originally meant “hairy” and was formed from haer, “hair.”

Etymology

From Middle English harsk, harisk(e), hask(e), herris. Century derived the term from Old Norse harskr (whence Danish harsk (“rancid”), dialectal Norwegian hersk, Swedish härsk, Swedish härsken); the Middle English Dictionary derives it from that and Middle Low German harsch (“rough”, literally “hairy”) (whence also German harsch), from haer (“hair”), from Old Saxon hār, from Proto-West Germanic *hār; the Oxford Dictionary of English derives it from Middle Low German alone.

harsk Middle English harskr Old Norse harsch gml hār osx *hār Proto-West Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# harsh

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /hɑɹʃ/
**IPA (UK):** /hɑːʃ/
**Frequency rank:** 4684

## Meanings
1. Cruel, unkind, or severe.
2. Unpleasant to the senses; rough or sharp.
3. Difficult and unpleasant to live in.

## Examples
- The judge gave him a harsh penalty for a minor crime.
- The harsh light made it hard to read the screen.
- Few plants can survive in such a harsh climate.

## Synonyms
- rough

## Derived Forms
- harshen
- harshish
- harshly
- harshness
- overharsh
- unharsh

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: harsk
- Root: harskr
- Root: harsch
- Root: hār
- Root: *hār

## Etymology
From Middle English harsk, harisk(e), hask(e), herris. Century derived the term from Old Norse harskr (whence Danish harsk (“rancid”), dialectal Norwegian hersk, Swedish härsk, Swedish härsken); the Middle English Dictionary derives it from that and Middle Low German harsch (“rough”, literally “hairy”) (whence also German harsch), from haer (“hair”), from Old Saxon hār, from Proto-West Germanic *hār; the Oxford Dictionary of English derives it from Middle Low German alone.

## AI Etymology
Harsh comes from Middle English harsk, harisk(e), hask(e), herris. Century derived the term from Old Norse harskr (whence Danish harsk (“rancid”), dialectal Norwegian hersk, Swedish härsk, Swedish härsken); the Middle English Dictionary derives it from that and Middle Low German harsch (“rough”, literally “hairy”) (whence also German harsch), from haer (“hair”), from Old Saxon hār, from Proto-West Germanic *hār; the Oxford Dictionary of English derives it from Middle Low German alone. The historical chain includes harsk (Middle English), harskr (Old Norse), harsch (gml), hār (osx), and *hār (Proto-West Germanic). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as harshen, harshish, harshly, and harshness. In present use it covers cruel, unkind, or severe, unpleasant to the senses; rough or sharp, and difficult and unpleasant to live in.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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