harsher vs more harsh

Both 'harsher' and 'more harsh' are correct forms to compare the degree of harshness. 'Harsher' is the comparative form of 'harsh' and is commonly used in English. 'More harsh' is also correct but less common. Both can be used interchangeably depending on personal preference or the context.

Last updated: April 09, 2024 • 2454 views

harsher

The word 'harsher' is the comparative form of 'harsh' and is commonly used in English.

Use 'harsher' when comparing the degree of harshness between two things or situations.

Examples:

The punishment for breaking the rule was harsh, but the consequences for repeated offenses were even harsher.
His criticism was harsh, but hers was even harsher.
The winter weather this year is harsher than last year.
The teacher's tone grew harsher as the students continued to misbehave.
The critics' reviews were harsh, but the audience's reaction was even harsher.

Show examples from the web [+]

The Peppin Merino is suited to the harsher conditions of inland Australia.
Turretin says supralapsarianism is "harsher and less suitable" than infralapsarianism.
Hell, I've seen harsher conditions in a motel 6.
The criticism about Cheon Song Yi is becoming harsher.
There was rebellion and pressured the government took all the harsher methods.
And I think in some ways we've been much harsher to men in the annihilation of their girl cell.
We must impose harsher penalties against offenders.
Consequently, this legislative document does not prevent Member States from adopting shorter payment periods or harsher penalties.
That would be harsher punishment for parole violators, Stan.
You sentence rival crews to harsher sentences while you control the streets?
They treat the other people of their empire and their vassal states with increasing contempt, while harsher taxation awaits the conquered nations.
As hypothesized, respondents recalled more easily from long-term memory stories that contain severe harm, which seemed to influence their sentencing choices to make them push for harsher punishments.
For citizens of third states, however, the right to a family reunion is subject to much harsher rules.
What is striking about this argument, the lack of sufficient high quality scientific evidence, is that it is never used when harsher policies are introduced.
Designed to walk the line of the allowable car setting, Volvo performance parts are made for harsher and more difficult drive applications.
The closer Nibiru gets, the harsher these disasters.
After he arrived in Medina, the suras composed then seem to have a generally much harsher tone, often even mean-spirited and barbaric, as regarding non-believers.
This simple, yet affective design helps MM01 take on much harsher conditions required by professionals working in places not normally suitable for computers.
It is particularly cruel that Commissioner Rehn is advocating even harsher austerity policies, endangering any possibility of a slight recovery in the coming years.
It will also throw more dangerous creatures, harsher environments and new challenges at you that can't be taken on without the proper gear or refined skill.

Alternatives:

more severe
more stringent
more intense
more rigorous
more brutal

more harsh

The phrase 'more harsh' is also correct but less common than 'harsher'.

You can use 'more harsh' to compare the degree of harshness, although 'harsher' is more commonly used in English.

Examples:

The punishment for breaking the rule was harsh, but the consequences for repeated offenses were even more harsh.
His criticism was harsh, but hers was even more harsh.
The winter weather this year is more harsh than last year.
The teacher's tone grew more harsh as the students continued to misbehave.
The critics' reviews were harsh, but the audience's reaction was even more harsh.

Show examples from the web [+]

But the albanian communists are even more harsh than the serbs.
You got any more harsh digs?
Karl wrote, «At school, the confrontations are becoming more and more harsh...
Second part is quite different. Dug in gneiss rock, its forms are more harsh and majestic.
Can you be a little more harsh?
However, over the next few months a few more harsh words and a lot of hard talk will take place.
She limits herself to lick my little finger with its, a gesture sweeter than honey, more harsh and bitter than absinthe.
While the package that was voted yesterday ensures Greece will get further support, it also contains more harsh measures for the population.
The news received in recent weeks on the way in which modern technologies facilitate interceptions mean that greater attention must be paid to this issue: we would not want our reality to be even more harsh and troubled than the dark scenes depicted by Orwell.
How did this track come about? Will you be experimenting with more harsh industrial forms in the future?
For usage in areas with more harsh conditions, such as pools, seaside areas or on boats a stainless steel 316. Please contact us for further information.
Dad, there's nothin' you could say to me that's more harsh than what I'm sayin' to myself!
More harsh weather is expected as officials prepare for the worst.
You got any more harsh digs?
But the weather north of the alps - known to be significantly more harsh - destroyed the artful paintings within short time.
The impact of this new wave of redundancies is all the more harsh in view of the low level of wages and the high employment rate in the municipality.

Alternatives:

harsher
more severe
more stringent
more intense
more rigorous

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