1unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses:drenched in a harsh white neon light harsh guttural shouts
2cruel or severe:a time of harsh military discipline (of a climate or conditions) difficult to survive in; hostile:the harsh environment of the desert (of reality or a fact) grim and unpalatable:the harsh realities of the world news having an undesirably strong effect:she finds soap too harsh and drying