HARSHNESS Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

harshness

noun

Definition of harshness

as in bitterness

a harsh or sharp quality there was a harshness about her voice that made her an unlikely but surprisingly evocative singer of torch songs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in severity

the quality or state of being demanding or unyielding (as in discipline or criticism) was surprised at the harshness of the choirmaster's criticism, since he was usually pretty easygoing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of harshness Reparations are about exercising a radical vision, thinking beyond the harshness of life, and knowing that something better is possible. — Literary Hub, 27 July 2026 The harshness of the response suggested that after nearly five decades of trying to negotiate with the SSPX, the Holy See has had enough. — ABC News, 2 July 2026 The harshness of the response suggested that after trying to negotiate with the SSPX, the Vatican under Leo XIV had had enough. — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 Sunlight naturally sanitizes, and air drying prevents the harshness of high heat. — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 29 June 2026 Yet the harshness of humanity has been constantly rescued by our capacity to create and love. — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 Read more Amid the harshness of Jim Crow, Walker accomplished what seemed impossible. — Vivian Yee, New York Times, 20 June 2026 Then there is the harshness of space. — Sven Bilén, The Conversation, 16 June 2026 There is no lag to anticipate and no visual harshness pulling attention away from the music. — William Jones, USA Today, 3 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harshness

Noun

This copper beauty serves up bold floral and citrus aromas, plus the signature IPA bitterness.

— Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Little united the Syrian rebels during the country’s civil war from 2011 to 2024 outside of their hatred of Assad, and Damascus has sought to cultivate this memory of bitterness to keep the country’s disparate groups together.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of bitterness

Noun

Tyreke Smith had a good month, but the severity of his hamstring injury could make Harris’ path cleaner.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
Some recalls, Eskin said, are made after companies’ routine testing catches a pathogen before anyone gets sick, while others involve outbreaks that are already underway and vary widely in size and severity.

— Dian Zhang, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of severity

Noun

The lawsuit further alleged that Trader Joe’s put its crustless PB&Js peanut in packaging that too closely resembled the coloring of an Uncrustables box and featured a similar photograph of a sandwich with a bite taken out of one side.

— Dee-Ann Durbin, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Throughout the night, creatives grazed on light bites from Goop Kitchen—the teriyaki salmon hand rolls were a crowd favorite—and bopped to the tunes from DJ Mariko.

— Paul Chi, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of bite

Noun

The negative is that rookie edge Keyron Crawford is out for the year with an ankle injury.

— Sam Warren, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
China continues to rely on Dutch manufacturer ASML for nearly all of its cutting-edge deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machines, while some DUV systems encounter US export restrictions.

— Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of edge

Noun

Even with an unnecessary roughness penalty in the fourth, Shelley made his reps count, making five tackles and breaking up a deep pass from Rams quarterback Ty Simpson intended for Tyler Scott.

— Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
According to the company, the platform delivers high critical-dimension uniformity, low line-edge roughness, and a large process window across an entire wafer.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 July 2026

Definition of roughness

Browse Nearby Words

harshly

harshness

harum-scarum

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“Harshness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harshness. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of harshness

noun

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