Harshly

Pronunciation: /hɑːrʃli/

Definitions of harshly

adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb by providing information on how an action is performed or how something is described

Example Sentences

A1 The teacher spoke harshly to the students who were misbehaving.

A2 The manager criticized the employee harshly for making a mistake.

B1 The judge sentenced the criminal harshly for committing a serious crime.

B2 The coach's feedback was given harshly, but it was necessary for the team to improve.

C1 The CEO reprimanded the executives harshly for failing to meet their targets.

C2 The politician's speech was delivered harshly, causing controversy among the audience.

Examples of harshly in a Sentence

formal The teacher reprimanded the student harshly for not completing the assignment on time.

informal The boss criticized the employee harshly in front of everyone.

slang She was roasted harshly by her friends for wearing mismatched socks.

figurative The storm winds howled harshly against the windows of the old house.

Grammatical Forms of harshly

• past tense: harshed
• plural: harshly
• comparative: more harshly
• superlative: most harshly
• present tense: harshes
• future tense: will harsh
• perfect tense: have harshed
• continuous tense: is harshing
• singular: harshly
• positive degree: harsh
• infinitive: to harsh
• gerund: harshing
• participle: harshened

Origin and Evolution of harshly

First Known Use: 1300 year

Language of Origin: Middle English

Story behind the word: The word 'harshly' originated from the Middle English word 'harschly' which came from the Old French word 'hars', meaning rough or severe.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'harshly' has retained its original meaning of being rough or severe, but has also come to be used more broadly to describe actions or words that are unkind or strict.