harshness meaning and definition

HARSHNESS noun

Definition of harshness (noun)

1. the roughness of a substance that causes abrasions
   • synonyms: abrasiveness, scratchiness
2. the quality of being unpleasant (harsh or rough or grating) to the senses
   • synonyms: roughness
3. the quality of being cruel and causing tension or annoyance
   • synonyms: cruelness, cruelty
4. excessive sternness
   • "severity of character"; "the harshness of his punishment was inhuman"; "the rigors of boot camp"
   • synonyms: hardness, inclemency, rigor, rigorousness, rigour, rigourousness, severeness, severity, stiffness