the quality of being unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses
he slowly opened his eyes to the harshness of the light
the harshness of her tone of voice
glycerin can be added to reduce the harshness of the soap on the skin
the quality of being cruel or severe
he has a reputation for the harshness of his judgments
the harshness of the regime
lies enable us to smooth over the cold, brutal harshness of reality