Harsh vs. Rough — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Harsh and Rough
ADVERTISEMENT
Compare with Definitions
Harsh
Unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses
Drenched in a harsh white neon light
Harsh guttural shouts
Rough
Having an uneven or irregular surface; not smooth or level
Her skin felt dry and rough
They had to carry the victim across the rough, stony ground
Harsh
Cruel or severe
A time of harsh military discipline
Rough
(of a person or their behaviour) not gentle; violent or boisterous
Pushchairs should be capable of withstanding rough treatment
Harsh
Disagreeable to the sense of hearing
A harsh voice.
ADVERTISEMENT
Rough
Not finished tidily or decoratively; plain and basic
The customers sat at rough wooden tables
Harsh
Disagreeable to the sense of sight
Harsh lighting.
Rough
(of a voice) harsh and rasping
His voice was rough with barely suppressed fury
Harsh
Unpleasantly coarse and rough to the touch
Harsh burlap.
Rough
Not exact or precise; approximate
It'll cost about £50, at a rough guess
They had a rough idea of when the murder took place
Harsh
Unpleasant, uncomfortable, or hostile to survival
A harsh wilderness.
A harsh winter.
Rough
Difficult and unpleasant or unfair
The first day of a job is rough on everyone
The teachers gave me a rough time because my image didn't fit
Harsh
Severe, cruel, or exacting
Harsh punishment.
A harsh overseer.
Rough
In a manner that lacks gentleness; harshly or violently
Treat 'em rough but treat 'em fair
Harsh
Disagreeable to the mind or feelings
Harsh words.
Rough
A disreputable and violent person
The rear of the column was attacked by roughs
Harsh
Expressing displeasure or disapproval
Gave me a harsh look.
Rough
(on a golf course) longer grass around the fairway and the green
His second shot lay in the rough
Harsh
Unpleasantly rough to the touch or other senses.
Rough
A preliminary sketch
I did a rough to work out the scale of the lettering
Harsh
Severe or cruel.
Rough
An uncut precious stone
Miners discovered one of the biggest diamond roughs in history
Harsh
To negatively criticize.
Quit harshing me already, I said that I was sorry!
Rough
Work or shape (something) in a rough, preliminary fashion
Flat surfaces of wood are roughed down
Harsh
To put a damper on (a mood).
Dude, you're harshing my buzz.
Rough
Make uneven
Rough up the icing with a palette knife
Harsh
Rough; disagreeable; grating
Rough
Live in discomfort with only basic necessities
She'd had to rough it alone in digs
Harsh
Unpleasant and repulsive to the sensibilities; austere; crabbed; morose; abusive; abusive; severe; rough.
Clarence is so harsh, so blunt.
Though harsh the precept, yet the preacher charmed.
Rough
Having a surface marked by irregularities, protuberances, or ridges; not smooth
Planed the board so it was no longer rough.
Harsh
Having violent contrasts of color, or of light and shade; lacking in harmony.
Rough
Coarse or shaggy to the touch
A rough scratchy blanket.
Harsh
Unpleasantly stern;
Wild and harsh country full of hot sand and cactus
The nomad life is rough and hazardous
Rough
Difficult to travel over or through
The rough terrain of the highlands.
Harsh
Disagreeable to the senses;
The harsh cry of a blue jay
Harsh cognac
The harsh white light makes you screw up your eyes
Harsh irritating smoke filled the hallway
Rough
Characterized by violent motion; turbulent
Rough waters.
Harsh
Extremely unkind or cruel;
Had harsh words
A harsh and unlovable old tyrant
Rough
Difficult to endure or live through, especially because of harsh or inclement weather
A rough winter.
Harsh
Severe;
A harsh penalty
Rough
Unpleasant or difficult
Had a rough time during the exam.
Harsh
Used of circumstances (especially weather) that cause suffering;
Brutal weather
Northern winters can be cruel
A cruel world
A harsh climate
A rigorous climate
Unkind winters
Rough
Characterized by or done with violence or forcefulness
A sport noted for rough play.
A package that received rough handling.
Harsh
Sharply disagreeable; rigorous;
The harsh facts of court delays
An abrasive character
Rough
Boisterous, disorderly, or given to violence
Ran with a rough crowd.
Rough
Characterized by violence or crime
Lives in a rough neighborhood.
Rough
Lacking polish or finesse
Rough manners.
Rough
Harsh to the ear
A rough raspy sound.
Rough
Being in a natural state
Rough diamonds.
Rough
Not perfected, completed, or fully detailed
A rough drawing.
Rough carpentry.
Rough
The surface or part of something that is uneven or coarse
Felt the rough of his chin.
Rough
Rugged overgrown terrain.
Rough
(Sports) The area of a golf hole in which the grass is left unmowed or is cut to a length longer than that of the fairway.
Rough
A disorderly, unrefined, or unfinished state.
Rough
A difficult or disagreeable aspect or condition of something
Observed politics in the rough when working as an intern on Capitol Hill.
Rough
A person given to violent or disorderly behavior; a rowdy.
Rough
To treat roughly or with physical violence
Roughed up his opponent.
Rough
(Sports) To treat (an opposing player) with unnecessary roughness, often in violation of the rules
Was ejected from the game for roughing the passer.
Rough
To prepare or indicate in an unfinished form
Rough out a house plan.
Rough
In a rough manner; roughly
The engine began to run rough and faltered.
Rough
Not smooth; uneven.
Rough
Approximate; hasty or careless; not finished.
A rough estimate
A rough sketch of a building
A rough plan
Rough
Turbulent.
Rough sea
Rough
Difficult; trying.
Being a teenager nowadays can be rough.
Rough
Crude; unrefined.
His manners are a bit rough, but he means well.
Rough
Worn; shabby; weather-beaten.
Rough
Violent; not careful or subtle.
This box has been through some rough handling.
Rough
Loud and hoarse; offensive to the ear; harsh; grating.
A rough tone
A rough voice
Rough
(of a gem) Not polished; uncut.
A rough diamond
Rough
Harsh-tasting.
Rough wine
Rough
Somewhat ill; sick; in poor condition.
Rough
Unwell due to alcohol; hungover.
Rough
The unmowed part of a golf course.
Rough
A rude fellow; a coarse bully; a rowdy.
Rough
(cricket) A scuffed and roughened area of the pitch, where the bowler's feet fall, used as a target by spin bowlers because of its unpredictable bounce.
Rough
The raw material from which faceted or cabochon gems are created.
Rough
A quick sketch, similar to a thumbnail but larger and more detailed, used for artistic brainstorming.
Rough
(obsolete) Boisterous weather.
Rough
A piece inserted in a horseshoe to keep the animal from slipping.
Rough
To create in an approximate form.
Rough in the shape first, then polish the details.
Rough
(ice hockey) To commit the offense of roughing, i.e. to punch another player.
Rough
To render rough; to roughen.
Rough
To break in (a horse, etc.), especially for military purposes.
Rough
To endure primitive conditions.
To rough it
Rough
(transitive) To roughen a horse's shoes to keep the animal from slipping.
Rough
In a rough manner; rudely; roughly.
Rough
Having inequalities, small ridges, or points, on the surface; not smooth or plain; as, a rough board; a rough stone; rough cloth.
Rough
Not polished; uncut; - said of a gem; as, a rough diamond.
More unequal than the roughest sea.
Rough
Hence, figuratively, lacking refinement, gentleness, or polish.
A fiend, a fury, pitiless and rough.
A surly boatman, rough as wayes or winds.
Rough
Marked by coarseness; shaggy; ragged; disordered; - said of dress, appearance, or the like; as, a rough coat.
Rough
Marked by severity or violence; harsh; hard; as, rough measures or actions.
On the rough edge of battle.
A quicker and rougher remedy.
Kind words prevent a good deal of that perverseness which rough and imperious usage often produces.
Rough
Loud and hoarse; offensive to the ear; harsh; grating; - said of sound, voice, and the like; as, a rough tone; rough numbers.
Rough
Austere; harsh to the taste; as, rough wine.
He stayeth his rough wind.
Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.
Rough
Hastily or carelessly done; wanting finish; incomplete; as, a rough estimate; a rough draught.
Rough
Produced offhand.
Rough
Boisterous weather.
Rough
A rude fellow; a coarse bully; a rowdy.
Contemplating the people in the rough.
Rough
In a rough manner; rudely; roughly.
Sleeping rough on the trenches, and dying stubbornly in their boats.
Rough
To render rough; to roughen.
Rough
To break in, as a horse, especially for military purposes.
Rough
To cut or make in a hasty, rough manner; - with out; as, to rough out a carving, a sketch.
Rough
The part of a golf course bordering the fairway where the grass is not cut short
Rough
Prepare in preliminary or sketchy form
Rough
Having or caused by an irregular surface;
Trees with rough bark
Rough ground
A rough ride
Rough skin
Rough blankets
His unsmooth face
Unsmooth writing
Rough
(of persons or behavior) lacking refinement or finesse;
She was a diamond in the rough
Rough manners
Rough
Not quite exact or correct;
The approximate time was 10 o'clock
A rough guess
A ballpark estimate
Rough
Full of hardship or trials;
The rocky road to success
They were having a rough time
Rough
Violently agitated and turbulent;
Boisterous winds and waves
The fierce thunders roar me their music
Rough weather
Rough seas
Rough
Unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound;
A gravelly voice
Rough
Ready and able to resort to force or violence;
Pugnacious spirits...lamented that there was so little prospect of an exhilarating disturbance
They were rough and determined fighting men
Rough
Of the margin of a leaf shape; having the edge cut or fringed or scalloped
Rough
Not shaped by cutting or trimming;
An uncut diamond
Rough gemstones
Rough
Not carefully or expertly made;
Managed to make a crude splint
A crude cabin of logs with bark still on them
Rough carpentry
Rough
Not perfected;
A rough draft
A few rough sketches
Rough
Unpleasantly stern;
Wild and harsh country full of hot sand and cactus
The nomad life is rough and hazardous
Rough
With roughness or violence (`rough' is an informal variant for `roughly');
He was pushed roughly aside
They treated him rough
Rough
With rough motion as over a rough surface;
Ride rough
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Detective vs. InvestigatorNext Comparison
Angel vs. Ghost