adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a severe/stiff/heavy/tough/harsh penalty
▪ There were calls for stiffer penalties for killers of police officers.
an inhospitable/harsh environment (=one where the conditions make life difficult)
▪ The freezing climate makes this one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet.
cold/harsh (=light that seems slightly blue)
▪ the cold light of the moon
fierce/bitter/harsh/sharp criticism (=involving angry feelings)
▪ The prison system has been the object of fierce criticism.
harsh (also inhospitableformal) (= uncomfortable and difficult to live in)
▪ The climate of the Siberian steppes is harsh.
harsh/severe
▪ The court decided the original punishment was too severe.
severe/hard/harsh (=very cold)
▪ In a hard winter, many birds starve.
the harsh/grim/stark reality (=conditions that are really very bad)
▪ We want to protect our children from the harsh reality of our violent world.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
as
▪ It is a region where people's lives are as harsh as the landscape.
▪ This is a spotlight that is as harsh and cruel to the loser as it is flattering to the victor.
▪ The ground itself is not as harsh as the words I felt beneath me for that one curious moment at the Treasury.
less
▪ He advocated less harsh methods of training, and the use of kindness rather than force.
much
▪ Out in the villages conditions were much harsher.
▪ But fate could have something much harsher in store.
▪ The position of those out of work in Britain then was much harsher than it is today.
▪ Women would be much harsher in determining who should lose their right to own a gun.
▪ Graduate student organizers at other campuses say the sanctions threatened by Yale are much harsher than any they have faced.
particularly
▪ Those persecuted for their religious beliefs were singled out for particularly harsh treatment.
▪ The measures were felt to be particularly harsh by those catholic parents who were getting involved with the All Children Together movement.
rather
▪ The brick walls and paving of the front garden are clean and tidy, but rather harsh.
so
▪ Rodman was disciplined for that incident too, which is why Stern nailed him with so harsh a punishment this time.
too
▪ Some of the 250 people in the audience told the Post they believed the jokes were too harsh.
▪ Twenty-six Republicans and two Democrats voted against the punishment, mostly because they thought the penalty too harsh.
▪ Perhaps he had been a little too harsh with her.
▪ Well, maybe hard is too harsh a word.
▪ Spot reduction Don't be too harsh on spots!
▪ He said that perhaps he would be accused of being too harsh.
▪ Others who have been in permanent employment as nurses have found the restrictions of poor pay and stringent working conditions too harsh.
▪ Such pragmatic exculpation is both too harsh on Mr Museveni and too generous.
very
▪ Orange and bright yellow, which would look very harsh with pink, is limited to the odd splash.
▪ This decision seems very harsh, but this is a value-judgment with which others could reasonably disagree.
▪ The weather this winter has been very harsh with a lot of snow and wind.
▪ Darken the eyebrows with dark brown or black powder - pencil gives a very harsh look.
■ NOUN
climate
▪ Employees posted to areas with a harsh climate generally receive greater amounts of leave than those in less severe climates.
▪ The other vital factor for banks' profitability in today's harsh climate is cost control.
critic
▪ A harsher critic would have gone for the jugular and claimed that this was a blunt reiteration of those dormant adolescent prejudices.
▪ They have been among the United Nations' harshest critics and loudest advocates of reform.
▪ The harshest critics would say that while top executives tried to manage the acquisitions, they forgot to run their companies.
▪ Raoul, for example, had often ended up in the role of unavailable, harsh critic.
criticism
▪ A harsh criticism, perhaps, since Laura was no longer running the factories on a daily basis.
▪ She too endured harsh criticism and partisan pressure for becoming openly involved in public affairs.
▪ That is a harsh criticism since the Employment Secretary is a woman.
▪ It is odd that these harsh criticisms were issued before the guidelines were completed and publicly declared.
▪ Timmy says much the same thing but with less diplomacy, writing that harsh criticism and negativity are pulling the team apart.
▪ He knew that most people respond better to encouragement than to harsh criticism.
decision
▪ And also they wanted harsh decisions to be taken in respect of their effects on industry.
▪ It looked a harsh decision, especially when the referee allowed late tackles to go unpunished.
▪ Video re-runs hinted that Dowie had impeded a defender thus giving Quinn the necessary space but it seemed a harsh decision.
environment
▪ Many could successfully survive in a harsh environment, and their bodies enabled them to evolve into larger and more diverse creatures.
▪ The river banks were frequently lined with curious onlookers who struggle to eke out an existence in this harsh environment.
▪ It will protect computers used in harsh environments against dust, oil, water, rough handling, vibration and tampering.
▪ On the whole, though, triticale is hardier than wheat and can be cultivated more easily in harsh environments.
fact
▪ But it was not long before the harsh facts of economic and social life exerted their pressure.
▪ The harsh fact is that families suffering from unemployment are barely any better off.
▪ They no longer have any time for politicians who try to gloss over the harsh facts of life.
▪ Please don't wait to find out these harsh facts the hard way.
light
▪ The harsh lights that the photographers had used still glared down on the scene.
▪ In the harsh light, its most notable feature is a small metal grate over a drain in the very center.
▪ The space underneath was filled with a harsh light of burnished gold.
▪ The refugees stumbled toward military buses, blinking at the harsh lights.
▪ The presence of Jen was like a harsh light in his eyes.
▪ In 1980 a series of events occurred which forced us to look at ourselves in a new and harsh light.
lines
▪ The sun sets and the harsh lines of sun and shadow dissolve into blurred shapes and muted colours.
▪ A stream, at first made of smooth pebbles, flows between granite rocks whose harsh lines are softened by prostrate conifers.
▪ In fact, his features seemed to tighten into even harsher lines.
▪ She saw the lines scoring Gran's face - the same harsh lines that came when the rheumatism was at its worst.
measure
▪ Imprisonment is a harsh measure that should be used only when every other reasonable avenue has failed.
▪ Likewise, harsh measures to discourage illegitimacy will also have effect.
▪ The harsh measures of the transitory period are expected to lower the standard of living for about 20 percent of the population.
▪ The incident played into the hands of advocates of harsher measures of control.
▪ The incident also appeared to provide a pretext for the government to institute harsher measures against the student demonstrators.
penalty
▪ Eastleigh replied with two goals from well taken corner-kicks and a harsh penalty award against Lee West.
▪ The initiative also calls for harsher penalties for possessing false documents, making it a Class 3 felony.
punishment
▪ The law and order lobby, in contrast, focuses on deterring the offender with ever harsher punishments.
▪ On the other side, the authorities handed out harsh punishments to anyone even suspected of those acts.
▪ Instead he was given 11 1 / 2 years -- an extremely harsh punishment for a relatively small, first-time offense.
▪ They criticized the president for punishing both the innocent and the guilty and for exacting such harsh punishment.
▪ This would be harsh punishment, but fitting.
reality
▪ And in that instant the harsh reality of her task hit Isabel like a blow to the head.
▪ One of the harsh realities about the electronic media is that it chews up its stars as fast as it creates them.
▪ Soldiers now face the harsh reality of their mercy mission in the barren country.
▪ Dennis Sherman learned that harsh reality over the winter when he came across two large groups of illegal immigrants atop Mount Laguna.
▪ Faces were stripped of pretence by the pitiless bombardment of harsh reality.
▪ Acknowledging the sometimes harsh realities of our own history should not be cause for self-flagellation and blame.
▪ There was a different harsh reality waiting in the lodge: I stood with chums, amazed at what looked like Som.
▪ Being shackled to one epoch meant it had to change and adapt but try to reconcile this with harsh realities.
sentence
▪ Current anxiety about crime no doubt deepens support for harsher sentences.
tone
▪ In soft passages the effect can be quite beautiful, but with loud and harsh tones the dissonances can be very forceful.
▪ An owner's anger at some feline misdeed usually involves harsh tones and fixed staring.
treatment
▪ Furthermore, the harsh treatment of slaves was fully supported by the legal system.
▪ In the civil case, the plaintiffs sought to shield him from such harsh treatment by limiting the scope of his testimony.
▪ Ending in harsh treatment and pain, and a lingering scar.
▪ Yet the trend towards harsher treatment for young offenders continues.
▪ Those persecuted for their religious beliefs were singled out for particularly harsh treatment.
▪ When let out to private contractors, corruption and harsh treatment of the paupers was too often added to failure.
▪ They prefer not to break the beast's spirit with harsh treatment.
▪ There a barren woman is a potential witch and punished with low status and harsh treatment.
truth
▪ But before proceeding to optimism I have to introduce some harsh truths.
▪ The harsh truth is that the sanctions, in addition to inflicting suffering on millions, have made many very rich.
▪ Sorry, Colin, but you learned the hard way about the harsh truths of the boxing world.
voice
▪ What if the fortune-teller was destroying her hope and joy with that strange, harsh voice.
▪ As he did so, he heard Angel One's harsh voice shout something unintelligible.
▪ Concealed amongst the coats, Frankie listened to the grunts of the animals and the low harsh voices of the men.
weather
▪ In winter it's a wildlife haven; even in the harshest weather it affords a rarely failing food source.
▪ Autumn was here, the countryside was fading under the colder, harsher weather.
▪ Protect your skin from harsh weather.
winter
▪ Some people are looking forward to less harsh winters and longer, hotter summers.
▪ I count the bare spots in the flower beds, where tender plants have been killed by the harsh winter.
▪ Your plants will need time to become really well established to give them a better chance of surviving a harsh winter.
▪ Had they been creeping south with the harsher winters?
▪ Small mammals avoid the harshest winter conditions by living within or under the snow.
▪ With limited exceptions, shops and lodging facilities are shuttered during the harsh winters.
word
▪ He has harsh words to say about eclecticism.
▪ I should put aside the harsh words that had been said, I should try to make the best of everything.
▪ It may mean heated arguments, harsh words and hurt feelings, but once the air is cleared everyone will feel better.
▪ Lee attended both games in Houston, however, and not a harsh word was spoken between them.
▪ Forgery is a harsh word to use.
▪ She had only a few harsh words, mostly for Hollywood and its denizens.
▪ Their brisk assimilation, and their steady success, caused some harsh words to be spoken.
▪ He planted trees, raised cattle, married, and had seven children, and seldom spoke a harsh word.
world
▪ This new kind of educational institute was to be not merely a school but also a shelter from a harsh world.
▪ Hasn't it occurred to you that in today's harsh world it's every girl for herself?
▪ Perhaps Lagerfeld was trying to remind us that we live in a harsh world.
▪ Often they preferred a harsh world to a sweeter one.
▪ Nuclear power still attracts massive subsidies while coal mining is expected to compete in a harsh world market.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a harsh/a cross/an angry etc word
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ "You'll do what I tell you," he said, his voice harsh in her ear.
▪ a harsh military regime
▪ a harsh voice
▪ Cheap loudspeakers often produce a harsh metallic tone.
▪ Her reaction to the child's bad behaviour was unnecessarily harsh.
▪ In the harsh light of the street lamps Michelle looked tired and old.
▪ It may seem harsh to punish him, but he has to learn that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable.
▪ the harsh Canadian winters
▪ The government has brought in harsh measures to combat the rioting taking place in many cities.
▪ The lighting in these offices is so harsh, it gives me a headache.
▪ The movie has received harsh criticism from the press.
▪ The stage lighting is harsh.
▪ The wind made a harsh wailing sound in the trees.
▪ They suspended him? That seems pretty harsh.
▪ War toys make children less sensitive to the harsh realities of war.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Faces were stripped of pretence by the pitiless bombardment of harsh reality.
▪ Flight from reality, especially harsh, unpleasant reality.
▪ It revived concern over the harsh army round-ups in captured towns and villages.
▪ Since the building of that dam his terrain had been harsh, brutal and bad.
▪ The refugees stumbled toward military buses, blinking at the harsh lights.
▪ These myths serve as justification for the harsh views toward this segment of the population and consequently their punitive treatment.
▪ Wondering this, I knew it would be harsh of me to blame him.