harshness

«harshness» in Mova's school dictionary: Being unkind, strict or cruel: the harshness of the… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (harshness — uncountable)

meaning for a pupil

1) Being unkind, strict or cruel: the harshness of the punishment. tree →

2) Being rough and unpleasant to the senses: the harshness of a sound, a light or a taste. tree →

3) Being very difficult to live in: the harshness of the desert or the Arctic winter. tree →

sense in the lessons

In stories and history it describes strict rulers, hard punishments and cruel words; in geography and science it describes extreme climates, like deserts and polar regions, where animals need special adaptations. In ethics lessons we compare harshness with fairness and kindness. Phrases: the harshness of winter, harshness of the climate, harshness of her words.

examples

• The harshness of the Arctic winter makes life hard for animals. tree →
• We were shocked by the harshness of the punishment. tree →
• The harshness in his voice made the little boy cry. tree →
• Camels are adapted to the harshness of the desert. tree →
• The bright light's harshness hurt my eyes. tree →
• She said sorry for the harshness of her words. tree →

note

Uncountable. From «harsh» + -ness. Opposites: gentleness, softness, kindness, mildness.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «harshness» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.