harshness
NounUS[hahrsh-nuhs]/ˈhɑrʃnəs/2 syllables
Synonyms:
abrasivenessscratchinessroughnesscrueltycruelnessseverityseverenessrigorrigourrigorousnessrigourousnessinclemency
Open English WordNet
Noun (4)
- the roughness of a substance that causes abrasionsSynonyms: abrasivenessscratchinessType of roughness, raggedness
- the quality of being harsh or rough or grating to the sensesSynonyms: roughnessType of unpleasantnessKinds gruffness, hoarseness
- the quality of being cruel and causing tension or annoyanceSynonyms: crueltycruelnessType of malevolence, malevolencyKinds ferociousness, murderousness
- excessive sternness“severity of character”“the harshness of his punishment was inhuman”“the rigors of boot camp”Synonyms: severityseverenessrigorrigourrigorousnessrigourousnessinclemencyhardnessstiffnessType of sternness, strictness
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inexorableadjective
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Harsh′ness noun
The quality or state of being harsh.
O, she is Ten times more gentle than her father's crabbed, And he's composed of harshness.— William Shakespeare
'Tis not enough no harshness gives offense, The sound must seem an echo to the sense.— Alexander Pope
Synonyms: Acrimony; roughness; sternness; asperity; tartness. See Acrimony.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54