harshness

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To assess excessive punishment claims, Colorado courts begin by comparing “the gravity or seriousness of the offense to the harshness of the penalty.”

From Slate • Dec. 29, 2025

Without discounting the harshness of that imposed acculturation, he thanked what it gained him rather than resenting the means.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

“Fat Ham” doesn’t flinch from the harshness between intolerant parents and their queer children.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2024

Though judges frequently depart from the guidelines, introducing wide variability, "the risk of harshness is greater than in most countries" - particularly for high-profile cases, Prof Richman said.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2024

She stared at the limpid, naked sky looking for traces of a cloud, hoping that sooner or later a drop of rain would fall to break the unbearable harshness of that lunar valley.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende