厳しい・酷しい|きびしいkibishii[3]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. i-adjectivesevere; strict; rigid; unsparing; relentless
   彼かれは厳きびしい批判ひはんにさらされた。↗

   He was subjected to severe criticism.
2. i-adjectivehard (to do); difficult; tricky
   練習れんしゅうがどんなに厳きびしくても、彼女かのじょは決けっして泣なかなかった。↗

   However hard the training was, she never cried.
3. i-adjectiveintense (e.g. cold); harsh (weather); inclement
   ツンドラ地帯ちたいの気候きこうは厳きびしい。↗

   The tundra has a harsh climate.

• Synonym厳格げんかくWrittenWritten style: strict and serious, never lax, as in 「厳格な父」; the focus is on attitude, while 「厳しい」 also covers harsh conditions.
• Synonym厳重げんじゅうWrittenWritten: tight security or strict handling, as in 「厳重に保管」 and 「厳重注意」 (a stern warning).
• SynonymシビアCasualColloquial loanword: unsparing and no-nonsense, as in 「シビアな評価」; mostly about judgments or hard realities.
• Synonym手厳しいてきびしいNeutralUnsparing criticism or treatment, as in 「手厳しい批判」; sharper-tongued and harsher than 「厳しい」.
• Synonym冷厳れいげんWrittenWritten: coolly stern and impossible to evade, as in 「冷厳な事実」; stresses the mercilessness of facts.
• Synonym酷こくWrittenWritten: excessively harsh, as in 「酷な要求」; stresses being too hard on people.
• SynonymきついCasualColloquial: taxing, tight, or stern, as in 「仕事がきつい」 or 「靴がきつい」.
• Synonym過酷かこくWrittenWritten: brutally hard, as in 「過酷な労働」; beyond what one can reasonably bear.
• Synonym峻厳しゅんげんWrittenWritten: stern and austere, allowing no leniency, as in 「峻厳な態度」; colder and more forbidding than 「厳しい」.
• Related猛烈もうれつWrittenWritten: fierce in force, as in 「猛烈な暑さ」 or 「猛烈に働く」; about sheer intensity, not strictness.
• RelatedひどいCasualColloquial: cruel or just plain bad, as in 「ひどい雨」 or 「ひどい人」; carries strong negative feeling.
• Related激烈げきれつWrittenWritten: fierce fighting or competition, as in 「激烈な競争」; stresses how intense something is.
• Related凄まじいすさまじいCasualColloquial: staggering, overwhelming, as in 「凄まじい音」; can be praise or blame, stressing the shock.
• Related険しいけわしいNeutralSteep mountain paths, but also a rough road ahead or a stern expression, as in 「険しい道のり」.
• Related厳密げんみつWrittenWritten: precise and rigorous, as in 「厳密に言えば」; about exactness, not severity.
• Related酷烈こくれつWrittenWritten: extremely severe, as in 「酷烈な暑さ」; fairly rare.
• RelatedこっぴどいCasualColloquial intensifier: thoroughly, as in 「こっぴどく叱られる」; stresses getting a terrible scolding.
• Related峻烈しゅんれつWrittenWritten: severe and cutting, as in 「峻烈な批判」; stresses the sharpness of words.
• Antonym甘いあまいCasualOpposite of the strict sense: lax and indulgent, as in 「子供に甘い」.
• Antonym寛大かんだいWrittenWritten opposite of the stern sense: generous and lenient, as in 「寛大な処置」.
• Antonym穏やかおだやかNeutralOpposite of the harsh sense: mild weather or a calm manner, as in 「穏やかな天気」.
• Antonym優しいやさしいNeutralOpposite of the strict sense: kind and caring toward people, as in 「優しい先生」.

For severity or hardship, 「厳しい」 is the default. Use 「厳格」 for a strict attitude, 「厳重」 for tight security or strict handling, 「手厳しい」 for scathing criticism, 「厳密」 for precision, and 「きつい」 for something taxing. The rest are more specialized: 「峻厳」「冷厳」「峻烈」 for sternness, 「猛烈」「激烈」「凄まじい」 for sheer intensity, and 「酷」「酷烈」「過酷」「酷い」「こっ酷い」 for harshness or cruelty. Antonyms: 「甘い」 is lax, 「寛大」 lenient, 「穏やか」 mild, 「優しい」 kind.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 親切しんせつに扱あつかわない。態度たいどが冷つめたい。
2. とてつもない。ものすごい。耐たえ難がたい。苛烈かれつな。
3. 威圧いあつ感かんのある。人ひとをはねつけるような。けわしい。
4. 難むずかしい。うまくいきそうにない。楽観らっかんできない。