harsh

harsh — 形容詞

1. treating people in a cruel way or being more critical than is fair — for example

1.形容詞B1
釋義

嚴厲；苛刻

批評、懲罰等過於嚴厲不友善

treating people in a cruel way or being more critical than is fair — for example, a parent who shouts at a child for a small mistake, or a judge who gives a punishment that seems too heavy for the crime.

例句

Chidi's boss gave him a harsh warning about arriving late to work.

Chidi 的老闆因為他上班遲到而給了他一個嚴厲的警告。

collocation: harsh warning

The critic's harsh review of the film upset the young director.

那位評論家對這部電影的嚴厲評論讓年輕導演很難過。

harsh + review / criticism

同義詞
  • severe

    stronger in degree but can be neutral (a severe storm); harsh carries a judgment of unfairness

  • cruel

    implies intent to cause pain, while harsh can be unintentional

  • stern

    firm and serious without the implication of cruelty; more neutral

  • ruthless

    much stronger — shows no mercy at all; harsher than harsh

反義詞
  • gentle

    kind and soft in manner, the opposite of harsh treatment

  • lenient

    less strict or punishing than expected

文法句型

harsh + to/on/with + someone

harsh + noun (criticism/punishment/reality)

用法筆記

Commonly paired with 'to', 'on', 'with', or 'towards' to specify who receives the harsh treatment. Frequent noun partners include 'criticism', 'words', 'punishment', 'sentence', 'reality', 'truth', 'judgment', and 'treatment'.

常見錯誤

❌My father was harsh with me when I got an A instead of an A+.
✅My father was strict with me when I got an A instead of an A+.
💡'harsh' suggests cruelty or excessive severity, while 'strict' means firmly enforcing rules without necessarily being unkind.
❌The teacher gave me harsh homework.
✅The teacher gave me difficult homework.
💡'harsh' describes treatment or criticism of people, not the difficulty of tasks.

2. describes a light, sound, taste, or chemical that is so strong it causes physica

2.形容詞B1
釋義

刺眼；刺耳

光線、聲音、氣味強烈到不舒服

describes a light, sound, taste, or chemical that is so strong it causes physical discomfort — for instance, the midday sun that makes your eyes hurt, or a cleaning product with a smell that burns your nose.

例句

Yuna pulled the curtains shut to block out the harsh afternoon sunlight.

Yuna 拉上窗簾，阻擋刺眼的午後陽光。

collocation: harsh sunlight / harsh light

The cleaning staff wore masks because of the harsh chemical smell.

清潔人員因為強烈的化學氣味而戴上了口罩。

同義詞
  • strong

    more general; harsh adds the idea of unpleasantness or discomfort

  • glaring

    only for light; even more negative in tone

  • grating

    only for sound; focuses on irritation rather than intensity

  • abrasive

    overlaps for texture and cleaning products; less common for light or sound

反義詞
  • soft

    gentle on the senses, especially for light and sound

  • mild

    not strong or harsh, especially for chemicals and soap

文法句型

harsh + noun (light/sound/chemical/smell)

用法筆記

Unlike sense 1, this sense describes irritating physical sensations rather than behaviour or treatment. Typical noun partners fall into sensory categories: visual (light, sunlight, lighting, colour), auditory (sound, voice, noise), olfactory (smell, odour), or chemical (cleaner, detergent, chemical, soap).

常見錯誤

❌The soup was too harsh for my taste.
✅The soup was too spicy/salty for my taste.
💡'harsh' is used for chemicals or strong cleaning products, not for food flavours in everyday English.

3. describes a surface that feels rough and coarse when you touch it, in a way that

3.形容詞B2
釋義

粗糙的

表面粗澀摸起來不舒服

describes a surface that feels rough and coarse when you touch it, in a way that is slightly uncomfortable — like an old wooden table that has never been sanded, or a woollen jumper that irritates your skin.

例句

The harsh fabric of the cheap sofa scratched Ife's bare arms.

那張廉價沙發粗糙的布料刮傷了 Ife 裸露的手臂。

collocation: harsh fabric

Eitan replaced the harsh wool blanket with a soft cotton one.

Eitan 把那條刺人的羊毛毯換成了柔軟的棉毯。

同義詞
  • rough

    more common and neutral; harsh adds the sense of discomfort

  • coarse

    similar meaning, e.g. coarse sandpaper; less common in everyday speech

  • abrasive

    technical; often used for cleaning products or industrial materials

反義詞
  • smooth

    even and flat to the touch

  • soft

    pleasantly gentle against the skin

文法句型

harsh + noun (fabric/surface/towel)

用法筆記

This is the least frequent sense of 'harsh'. It overlaps with 'rough' but adds the idea of unpleasantness or irritation. 'Rough' is more neutral — a rough road or rough wood might be fine — whereas 'harsh' texture always carries a negative feel.

常見錯誤

❌The cat's fur felt harsh.
✅The cat's fur felt rough.
💡'harsh' implies an uncomfortable, irritating roughness. Soft animal fur is rarely described as harsh even if it's not perfectly smooth.

4. describes a climate, weather, or living condition that is extremely difficult to

4.形容詞B1
釋義

嚴酷；艱苦

環境、氣候極為艱難難以忍受

describes a climate, weather, or living condition that is extremely difficult to cope with, causing serious hardship for people, animals, or plants.

例句

The climbers faced harsh conditions near the top of the mountain.

登山者們在接近山頂時面臨了嚴酷的環境。

collocation: harsh conditions

Esteban's family survived the harsh winter by sharing food and firewood with their neighbours.

Esteban 一家人靠著與鄰居分享食物和柴火熬過了嚴酷的冬天。

collocation: harsh winter

同義詞
  • severe

    similar in strength but more neutral — a severe winter is simply very cold; a harsh winter suggests suffering

  • tough

    informal synonym for difficult conditions

  • brutal

    much stronger — implies mercilessness; extreme version of harsh

反義詞
  • mild

    gentle and easy to bear, especially for weather

  • pleasant

    enjoyable conditions, opposite of harsh

文法句型

harsh + noun (winter/climate/conditions)

用法筆記

This sense overlaps with sense 1 when describing 'harsh reality' or 'harsh truth', but sense 4 focuses on environmental difficulty rather than personal cruelty or criticism. The key test: if you can replace 'harsh' with 'severe' or 'difficult' without changing the meaning about conditions, it is sense 4.