| Main Entry: | harsh |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | rough, crude (to the senses) |
Synonyms: |
acrid, asperous, astringent, bitter, bleak, cacophonous, caterwauling, clashing, coarse, cracked, craggy, creaking, croaking, disagreeing, discordant, dissonant, disturbing, earsplitting, flat, glaring, grating, grim, guttural, hard, hoarse, incompatible, jagged, jangling, jarring, noisy, not smooth, off-key, out-of-key, out-of-tune, rasping, raucous, rigid, rugged, rusty, screeching, severe, sharp, sour, strident, stridulous, tuneless, uneven, unlevel, unmelodious, unmusical, unrelenting |
Antonyms: |
easy, gentle, mild, peaceful, pleasing, smooth, soft |
| Main Entry: | harsh |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | nasty, abusive |
Synonyms: |
austere, bitter, brutal, comfortless, cruel, cussed, discourteous, dour, grim, gruff, hairy*, hard, hard-boiled, hard-nosed, hard-shell, mean, pitiless, punitive, relentless, rude, ruthless, severe, sharp, stern, stringent, tough, uncivil, unfeeling, ungracious, unkind, unpleasant, unrelenting, wicked |
Antonyms: |
courteous, kind, nice, polite |
| Main Entry: | acerbic |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | bitter, sharp, or sour |
Synonyms: |
acidic, acrid, astringent, caustic, harsh, sharp, tart |
| Main Entry: | acid |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | bitter in words or behavior |
Synonyms: |
acerbic, biting, caustic, cutting, dry, harsh, hateful, hurtful, mordant, nasty, offensive, sarcastic, sharp, stinging, trenchant, vitriolic |
Antonyms: |
kind, nice |
| Main Entry: | acrid |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | bitter, sour to taste |
Synonyms: |
acid, amaroidal, astringent, biting, burning, caustic, harsh, irritating, pungent, sharp, stinging |
Antonyms: |
delicious, savory, sweet |
| Main Entry: | acrid |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | nasty in behavior or words |
Synonyms: |
acrimonious, austere, biting, bitter, caustic, cutting, harsh, mordant, sarcastic, sharp, trenchant, vitriolic |
Antonyms: |
complimentary, kind, nice |
| Main Entry: | arduous |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | difficult, hard to endure |
Synonyms: |
backbreaking, burdensome, exhausting, fatiguing, formidable, grueling, harsh, heavy, labored, laborious, murder, no picnic, onerous, painful, punishing, rigorous, rough, severe, strenuous, taxing, tiring, toilsome, tough, troublesome, trying, uphill |
Antonyms: |
easy, facile, motivating |
| Main Entry: | austere |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | severe in manner |
Synonyms: |
ascetic, astringent, cold, earnest, exacting, forbidding, formal, grave, grim, hard, harsh, inexorable, inflexible, obdurate, rigid, rigorous, serious, sober, solemn, somber, stern, stiff, strict, stringent, unfeeling, unrelenting |
Antonyms: |
bland, calm, gentle, meek, mild |
| Main Entry: | authoritarian |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | domineering |
Synonyms: |
absolute, authoritative, autocratic, despotic, dictatorial, disciplinarian, doctrinaire, dogmatic, harsh, imperious, magisterial, rigid, severe, strict, totalitarian, tyrannical, unyielding |
| Notes: | authoritarian is tyrannical while authoritative commands respect |
Antonyms: |
democratic, liberal |
| Main Entry: | bad |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | severe |
Synonyms: |
disastrous, distressing, grave, harsh, intense, painful, serious, terrible |