Noun: harshness haa(r)sh-nus
- The quality of being harsh, rough or grating to the senses
"The harshness of his voice betrayed his anger";
- roughness
- The roughness of a substance that causes abrasions
"The harshness of the wool sweater irritated her skin";
- abrasiveness, scratchiness
- The quality or state of being harsh or cruel; deliberately causing hurt, pain or suffering
"The harshness of his practical jokes eventually alienated all his friends";
- cruelty, cruelness
- Excessive or stern strictness in attitude, judgment, or treatment
"the harshness of his punishment was inhuman"; "The harshness of the judge's ruling";
- severity, severeness [rare], rigor [US], rigour [Brit, Cdn], rigorousness, inclemency [archaic], stiffness
Type of: malevolence, malevolency, malice, raggedness, roughness, sternness, strictness, unpleasantness
Encyclopedia: Harshness