Harsh - English meaning

adjective

Extremely brutal.

Usage examples:

Many early child-rearing practices were barbarous by modern standards

adjective

Able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering

adjective

Resembling brass in colour.

Usage examples:

The last rays of the sun were brassy and chill

noun

Variant spelling of brassie.

noun

A number two wood.

adjective

Involving or producing a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.

Usage examples:

The cacophonous sound of slot machines

adjective

Wilfully causing pain or suffering to others, or feeling no concern about it.

Usage examples:

People who are cruel to animals

verb

Spoil or ruin (an opportunity or a chance of success).

Usage examples:

Ernie nearly cruelled the whole thing by laughing

adjective

Extremely unkind and intentionally causing pain

Usage examples:

Her classmates made some cruel remarks., is the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment?, i thin…

adjective

Of or typical of a despot; tyrannical.

Usage examples:

A despotic regime

adjective

Having unlimited power over other people, and often using it unfairly and cruelly

Usage examples:

A despotic government/regime, a handful of corrupt and despotic leaders make the decisions.

adjective

Of or typical of a ruler with total power.

Usage examples:

A dictatorial regime

adjective

Liking to give orders

Usage examples:

A dictatorial ruler/government, her father is very dictatorial.

adjective

Unpleasant or unenjoyable.

Usage examples:

A disagreeable thought

adjective

Unpleasant; unattractive

Usage examples:

The drinking water had a disagreeable oily taste.

adjective

Disagreeing or incongruous.

Usage examples:

The operative principle of democracy is a balance of discordant qualities

adjective

Producing an unpleasant sound

Usage examples:

Discordant opinions discordant opinions prevail even among good judges., the contemporary dialogue …

adjective

Lacking harmony.

Usage examples:

Irregular, dissonant chords

adjective

(of sounds or musical notes) sounding strange or unpleasant

Usage examples:

A dissonant combination of sounds, his compositions tend to be brutally dissonant and repetitive., …

adjective

→  ear-splitting

adjective

Sounding harsh and unpleasant.

Usage examples:

A high, grating voice

noun

A framework of parallel or crossed bars, typically preventing access through an opening while permitting communication or ventilation.

Usage examples:

Suddenly, something thudded against the grating that covered the opening.

verb

Reduce (food) to small shreds by rubbing it on a grater.

Usage examples:

Peel and roughly grate the carrots

adjective

(of a difficult situation) oppressive and seemingly without end.

Usage examples:

Grinding poverty

noun

The reduction of something to small particles or powder by crushing it.

Usage examples:

The roasting and grinding of grain, usually barley, for use in brewing

verb

Reduce (something) to small particles or powder by crushing it.

Usage examples:

Grind some black pepper over the salad

adjective

Solid, firm, and rigid; not easily broken, bent, or pierced.

Usage examples:

The slate broke on the hard floor

adverb

With a great deal of effort.

Usage examples:

They work hard at school

noun

(of a consonant) pronounced as a velar plosive (as c in cat, g in go ).

adjective

Not kind or sympathetic toward other people

adjective

Displaying a complete lack of feeling or consideration.

Usage examples:

Heartless thieves stole the pushchair of a two-year-old boy

adjective

Cruel or unkind

Usage examples:

She denounced the cutbacks on aid to the poor as heartless and shortsighted policies.

adjective

Opposed to liberal principles; restricting freedom of thought or behaviour.

Usage examples:

Illiberal and anti-democratic policies

adjective

Limiting freedom of expression, thought, behaviour, etc.

Usage examples:

Illiberal policies

adjective

Not tolerant of views, beliefs, or behaviour that differ from one's own.

Usage examples:

As a society we are more intolerant of certain types of violence than we were in the past

adjective

Disapproving of or refusing to accept people, behavior, or ideas that are different from your own

Usage examples:

As a historian, she was intolerant of poorly done research., he began to speak out against racism a…

verb

Make or cause to make a ringing metallic sound, typically a discordant one.

Usage examples:

A bell jangled loudly

noun

A ringing metallic sound.

Usage examples:

The shrill jangle of the door bell

noun

The noise of metal hitting metal

Usage examples:

The jangling of sleigh bells, a loud jangling noise

adjective

Incongruous in a striking or shocking way; clashing.

Usage examples:

The telephone struck a jarring note in those renaissance surroundings

verb

Send a painful or damaging shock through (something, especially a part of the body).

Usage examples:

He jarred the knee in training

adjective

Different from surrounding or usual things, or disagreeing with others, and therefore surprising or upsetting

Usage examples:

A jarring succession of images, the band took a new, if jarring, approach to this music.

adjective

Showing no mercy.

Usage examples:

A merciless attack with a blunt instrument

adjective

Showing no kindness; cruel

Usage examples:

A merciless enemy, he was teased mercilessly at school.

adjective

Relating to or resembling metal or metals.

Usage examples:

Metallic alloys

noun

A paint, fabric, or colour with a metallic sheen.

Usage examples:

Ultra-bright solid colours, pearls, metallics, and more

adjective

Made of or similar to metal, or showing a quality of metal

Usage examples:

A loud metallic sound

adjective

Showing no pity; cruel.

Usage examples:

A pitiless executioner

adjective

Without mercy or sympathy

adjective

Having or showing no pity

Usage examples:

A pitiless dictator

adjective

Harsh-sounding and unpleasant; grating.

Usage examples:

His cracked, rasping voice narrates the story

verb

Make a harsh, grating noise.

Usage examples:

My breath rasped in my throat

adjective

A rasping sound or a rasping voice is unpleasantly rough

Usage examples:

Rasping cough the man had a rasping cough that left him gasping for breath., rasping voice with his…

adjective

Hoarse or harsh-sounding.

Usage examples:

His voice was raspy from days of non-stop campaigning

adjective

Making or constituting a disturbingly harsh and loud noise.

Usage examples:

Raucous youths

adjective

Loud, excited, and not controlled, esp. in an unpleasant way

Usage examples:

Raucous laughter

adjective

Loud and unpleasant

Usage examples:

I heard the raucous call of the crows., raucous laughter came from the next room., the party was be…

adjective

Unceasingly intense.

Usage examples:

The relentless heat of the desert

adjective

Having or showing no pity or compassion for others.

Usage examples:

A ruthless manipulator

adjective

Without mercy or pity

adjective

Cruel, or determined to succeed without caring about others

Usage examples:

A ruthless ruler, to compete abroad requires ruthless cost-cutting at home.

adjective

(of an animal or force of nature) fierce, violent, and uncontrolled.

Usage examples:

Packs of savage dogs roamed the streets

noun

A brutal or vicious person.

Usage examples:

The mother of one of the victims has described his assailants as savages

verb

(especially of a dog or wild animal) attack ferociously and maul.

Usage examples:

Police are rounding up dogs after a girl was savaged

verb

(of a person or animal) give a loud, harsh, piercing cry.

Usage examples:

She hit her brother, causing him to screech with pain

noun

Loud, harsh piercing cries or noises.

Usage examples:

The screeching of a macaw

adjective

Making a loud, harsh, piercing sound.

Usage examples:

A screeching flock of parrots

adjective

(of something bad or undesirable) very great; intense.

Usage examples:

A severe shortage of technicians

adjective

Causing great pain, difficulty, damage, etc.; very serious

Usage examples:

A severe earthquake, the family faced severe challenges when he lost his job., severe criticism

adjective

(of a voice or sound) high-pitched and piercing.

Usage examples:

A shrill laugh

verb

Make a shrill noise.

Usage examples:

A piercing whistle shrilled through the night air

noun

A shrill sound or cry.

Usage examples:

The shrill of a smoke detector filled the air

abbreviation

Square.

Usage examples:

51,100 sq. km

adjective

Demanding that rules concerning behaviour are obeyed and observed.

Usage examples:

My father was very strict

adjective

Limiting people’s freedom to behave as they wish beyond what is usual

Usage examples:

The school is an old-fashioned institution with strict discipline., do you think stricter laws woul…

adjective

(of a sound) loud and harsh; grating.

Usage examples:

His voice had become increasingly strident

adjective

Forceful, or very loud

Usage examples:

Strident criticism, a strident voice

adjective

Having a displeasingly thin, metallic sound.

Usage examples:

Tinny music played in the background

noun

A can of beer.

Usage examples:

Let's crack open a tinny, mate

adjective

(of sound) weak and high; lacking a full sound

Usage examples:

The music sounded good even on the tv’s tinny speakers.

adjective

Exercising power in a cruel or arbitrary way.

Usage examples:

A tyrannical government

adjective

Using, showing, or relating to the unfair and cruel use of power over other people in a country, group, etc.

Usage examples:

A tyrannical leader/regime/political system, in the end she left home just to escape the tyrannical…

adjective

(of a government or ruler) exercising power in a cruel or arbitrary way.

Usage examples:

A despotic and tyrannous empire

adjective

Using power or authority in a cruel and unfair way

Usage examples:

A tyrannous dictator

adjective

Not harmonious.

Usage examples:

The unharmonious noise of town life

adjective

Having an unpleasant tune or harmony (= the sound of different notes being played or sung at the same time)

Usage examples:

We all joined in a splendidly unharmonious rendition of auld lang syne., the listener from the very…

adjective

Inconsiderate and harsh to others.

Usage examples:

You were terribly unkind to her

adjective

Not kind

Usage examples:

He’s made some very unkind remarks about his employer lately.

adjective

Not melodious; discordant.

Usage examples:

An unmelodious chorus of horns

adjective

Not melodious (= pleasant to listen to)

Usage examples:

This bird has a distinctive, shrill, and unmelodious call., it's an understatement to say that his …

adjective

Not yielding in strength, severity, or determination.

Usage examples:

The heat was unrelenting

adjective

Extremely determined; never weakening or ending

Usage examples:

Unrelenting toughness/opposition, unrelenting neglect/pollution