Harshness — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

the roughness of a substance that causes abrasions

the quality of being unpleasant (harsh or rough or grating) to the senses

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/hˈɑːɹʃnəs/

🇬🇧British English

/hˈɑːʃnəs/

🇮🇳Indian English

/hˈɑːʃnəs/

2 syllables Say it as /hˈɑːɹʃnəs/.

Examples

severity of character
the harshness of his punishment was inhuman
the rigors of boot camp

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

roughness scratchiness rigourousness severity cruelness severeness rigour abrasiveness cruelty inclemency hardness rigorousness stiffness rigor

Parts of Speech

noun	the roughness of a substance that causes abrasions
noun	the quality of being unpleasant (harsh or rough or grating) to the senses
noun	the quality of being cruel and causing tension or annoyance
noun	excessive sternness “severity of character”

Word Forms

harsh	adjective	of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
abrasive	adjective	causing abrasion
scratchy	adjective	causing abrasion
rough	adjective	unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
cruel	adjective	(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
severe	adjective	unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment; - H.G.Wells
rigorous	adjective	demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
inclement	adjective	used of persons or behavior; showing no clemency or mercy
hard	adjective	unfortunate or hard to bear

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Härte

die Rauheit einer Substanz, die Abschürfungen verursacht

🇫🇷French

dureté

la rugosité d'une substance qui provoque des abrasions

🇪🇸Spanish

dureza

La rugosidad de una sustancia que causa abrasiones.

🇮🇹Italian

durezza

la rugosità di una sostanza che provoca abrasioni

🇳🇱Dutch

hardheid

de ruwheid van een stof die schaafwonden veroorzaakt

🇵🇹Portuguese

aspereza

a rugosidade de uma substância que causa abrasões

🇷🇺Russian

резкость

шероховатость вещества, вызывающая истирание

India

🇮🇳Hindi

कठोरता

किसी पदार्थ का खुरदरापन जो घर्षण का कारण बनता है

🇧🇩Bengali

কঠোরতা

একটি পদার্থের রুক্ষতা যা ঘর্ষণ ঘটায়

🇮🇳Tamil

கடுமை

சிராய்ப்புகளை ஏற்படுத்தும் ஒரு பொருளின் கடினத்தன்மை

🇮🇳Telugu

కఠినత్వం

రాపిడికి కారణమయ్యే పదార్ధం యొక్క కరుకుదనం

🇮🇳Marathi

कठोरपणा

एखाद्या पदार्थाचा उग्रपणा ज्यामुळे ओरखडे होतात

🇮🇳Gujarati

કઠોરતા

પદાર્થની ખરબચડી જે ઘર્ષણનું કારણ બને છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕಠೋರತೆ

ಸವೆತವನ್ನು ಉಂಟುಮಾಡುವ ವಸ್ತುವಿನ ಒರಟುತನ

🇮🇳Malayalam

കാഠിന്യം

ഉരച്ചിലുകൾക്ക് കാരണമാകുന്ന ഒരു പദാർത്ഥത്തിൻ്റെ പരുക്കൻത

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਕਠੋਰਤਾ

ਕਿਸੇ ਪਦਾਰਥ ਦੀ ਖੁਰਦਰੀ ਜੋ ਘਬਰਾਹਟ ਦਾ ਕਾਰਨ ਬਣਦੀ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

سختی

کسی مادے کی کھردری جو کھرچنے کا سبب بنتی ہے۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

严酷

导致擦伤的物质的粗糙度

🇯🇵Japanese

厳しさ

擦り傷を引き起こす物質の粗さ

🇰🇷Korean

거친 것

찰과상을 일으키는 물질의 거칠기

🇻🇳Vietnamese

sự khắc nghiệt

độ nhám của một chất gây ra sự mài mòn

🇹🇭Thai

ความรุนแรง

ความหยาบของสารที่ทำให้เกิดรอยถลอก

🇮🇩Indonesian

kekerasan

kekasaran suatu zat yang menyebabkan lecet

🇵🇭Filipino

kalupitan

ang pagkamagaspang ng isang substance na nagdudulot ng abrasion

🇲🇾Malay

kekasaran

kekasaran bahan yang menyebabkan melecet

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

قسوة

خشونة المادة التي تسبب سحجات

🇮🇷Persian

سختی

زبری ماده ای که باعث ساییدگی می شود

🇹🇷Turkish

sertlik

aşınmaya neden olan bir maddenin pürüzlülüğü

🇮🇱Hebrew

גַסוּת

החספוס של חומר הגורם לשפשופים

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'harshness'?

The primary meaning of 'harshness' is 'the roughness of a substance that causes abrasions'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'harshness' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'harshness' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'harshness' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'harshness' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'harshness' in your daily reading?

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Do you find 'harshness' easy to spell?

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In your opinion, does the word 'harshness' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Which age group is most likely to use 'harshness' in regular conversations?

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Would you classify 'harshness' as formal, casual, or slang?

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