adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a severe/stiff/heavy/tough/harsh penalty
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There were calls for stiffer penalties for killers of police officers.
an inhospitable/harsh environment (= one where the conditions make life difficult )
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The freezing climate makes this one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet.
cold/harsh (= light that seems slightly blue )
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the cold light of the moon
fierce/bitter/harsh/sharp criticism (= involving angry feelings )
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The prison system has been the object of fierce criticism.
harsh ( also inhospitable formal ) (= uncomfortable and difficult to live in )
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The climate of the Siberian steppes is harsh.
harsh/severe
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The court decided the original punishment was too severe.
severe/hard/harsh (= very cold )
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In a hard winter, many birds starve.
the harsh/grim/stark reality (= conditions that are really very bad )
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We want to protect our children from the harsh reality of our violent world.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
as
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It is a region where people's lives are as harsh as the landscape.
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This is a spotlight that is as harsh and cruel to the loser as it is flattering to the victor.
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The ground itself is not as harsh as the words I felt beneath me for that one curious moment at the Treasury.
less
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He advocated less harsh methods of training, and the use of kindness rather than force.
much
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Out in the villages conditions were much harsher .
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But fate could have something much harsher in store.
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The position of those out of work in Britain then was much harsher than it is today.
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Women would be much harsher in determining who should lose their right to own a gun.
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Graduate student organizers at other campuses say the sanctions threatened by Yale are much harsher than any they have faced.
particularly
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Those persecuted for their religious beliefs were singled out for particularly harsh treatment.
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The measures were felt to be particularly harsh by those catholic parents who were getting involved with the All Children Together movement.
rather
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The brick walls and paving of the front garden are clean and tidy, but rather harsh .
so
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Rodman was disciplined for that incident too, which is why Stern nailed him with so harsh a punishment this time.
too
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Some of the 250 people in the audience told the Post they believed the jokes were too harsh .
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Twenty-six Republicans and two Democrats voted against the punishment, mostly because they thought the penalty too harsh .
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Perhaps he had been a little too harsh with her.
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Well, maybe hard is too harsh a word.
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Spot reduction Don't be too harsh on spots!
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He said that perhaps he would be accused of being too harsh .
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Others who have been in permanent employment as nurses have found the restrictions of poor pay and stringent working conditions too harsh .
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Such pragmatic exculpation is both too harsh on Mr Museveni and too generous.
very
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Orange and bright yellow, which would look very harsh with pink, is limited to the odd splash.
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This decision seems very harsh , but this is a value-judgment with which others could reasonably disagree.
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The weather this winter has been very harsh with a lot of snow and wind.
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Darken the eyebrows with dark brown or black powder - pencil gives a very harsh look.
■ NOUN
climate
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Employees posted to areas with a harsh climate generally receive greater amounts of leave than those in less severe climates.
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The other vital factor for banks' profitability in today's harsh climate is cost control.
critic
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A harsher critic would have gone for the jugular and claimed that this was a blunt reiteration of those dormant adolescent prejudices.
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They have been among the United Nations' harshest critics and loudest advocates of reform.
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The harshest critics would say that while top executives tried to manage the acquisitions, they forgot to run their companies.
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Raoul, for example, had often ended up in the role of unavailable, harsh critic .
criticism
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A harsh criticism , perhaps, since Laura was no longer running the factories on a daily basis.
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She too endured harsh criticism and partisan pressure for becoming openly involved in public affairs.
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That is a harsh criticism since the Employment Secretary is a woman.
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It is odd that these harsh criticisms were issued before the guidelines were completed and publicly declared.
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Timmy says much the same thing but with less diplomacy, writing that harsh criticism and negativity are pulling the team apart.
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He knew that most people respond better to encouragement than to harsh criticism .
decision
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And also they wanted harsh decisions to be taken in respect of their effects on industry.
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It looked a harsh decision , especially when the referee allowed late tackles to go unpunished.
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Video re-runs hinted that Dowie had impeded a defender thus giving Quinn the necessary space but it seemed a harsh decision .
environment
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Many could successfully survive in a harsh environment , and their bodies enabled them to evolve into larger and more diverse creatures.
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The river banks were frequently lined with curious onlookers who struggle to eke out an existence in this harsh environment .
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It will protect computers used in harsh environments against dust, oil, water, rough handling, vibration and tampering.
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On the whole, though, triticale is hardier than wheat and can be cultivated more easily in harsh environments .
fact
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But it was not long before the harsh facts of economic and social life exerted their pressure.
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The harsh fact is that families suffering from unemployment are barely any better off.
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They no longer have any time for politicians who try to gloss over the harsh facts of life.
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Please don't wait to find out these harsh facts the hard way.
light
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The harsh lights that the photographers had used still glared down on the scene.
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In the harsh light , its most notable feature is a small metal grate over a drain in the very center.
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The space underneath was filled with a harsh light of burnished gold.
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The refugees stumbled toward military buses, blinking at the harsh lights .
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The presence of Jen was like a harsh light in his eyes.
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In 1980 a series of events occurred which forced us to look at ourselves in a new and harsh light .
lines
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The sun sets and the harsh lines of sun and shadow dissolve into blurred shapes and muted colours.
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A stream, at first made of smooth pebbles, flows between granite rocks whose harsh lines are softened by prostrate conifers.
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In fact, his features seemed to tighten into even harsher lines .
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She saw the lines scoring Gran's face - the same harsh lines that came when the rheumatism was at its worst.
measure
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Imprisonment is a harsh measure that should be used only when every other reasonable avenue has failed.
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Likewise, harsh measures to discourage illegitimacy will also have effect.
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The harsh measures of the transitory period are expected to lower the standard of living for about 20 percent of the population.
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The incident played into the hands of advocates of harsher measures of control.
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The incident also appeared to provide a pretext for the government to institute harsher measures against the student demonstrators.
penalty
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Eastleigh replied with two goals from well taken corner-kicks and a harsh penalty award against Lee West.
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The initiative also calls for harsher penalties for possessing false documents, making it a Class 3 felony.
punishment
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The law and order lobby, in contrast, focuses on deterring the offender with ever harsher punishments .
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On the other side, the authorities handed out harsh punishments to anyone even suspected of those acts.
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Instead he was given 11 1 / 2 years -- an extremely harsh punishment for a relatively small, first-time offense.
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They criticized the president for punishing both the innocent and the guilty and for exacting such harsh punishment .
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This would be harsh punishment , but fitting.
reality
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And in that instant the harsh reality of her task hit Isabel like a blow to the head.
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One of the harsh realities about the electronic media is that it chews up its stars as fast as it creates them.
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Soldiers now face the harsh reality of their mercy mission in the barren country.
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Dennis Sherman learned that harsh reality over the winter when he came across two large groups of illegal immigrants atop Mount Laguna.
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Faces were stripped of pretence by the pitiless bombardment of harsh reality .
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Acknowledging the sometimes harsh realities of our own history should not be cause for self-flagellation and blame.
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There was a different harsh reality waiting in the lodge: I stood with chums, amazed at what looked like Som.
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Being shackled to one epoch meant it had to change and adapt but try to reconcile this with harsh realities .
sentence
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Current anxiety about crime no doubt deepens support for harsher sentences .
tone
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In soft passages the effect can be quite beautiful, but with loud and harsh tones the dissonances can be very forceful.
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An owner's anger at some feline misdeed usually involves harsh tones and fixed staring.
treatment
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Furthermore, the harsh treatment of slaves was fully supported by the legal system.
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In the civil case, the plaintiffs sought to shield him from such harsh treatment by limiting the scope of his testimony.
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Ending in harsh treatment and pain, and a lingering scar.
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Yet the trend towards harsher treatment for young offenders continues.
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Those persecuted for their religious beliefs were singled out for particularly harsh treatment .
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When let out to private contractors, corruption and harsh treatment of the paupers was too often added to failure.
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They prefer not to break the beast's spirit with harsh treatment .
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There a barren woman is a potential witch and punished with low status and harsh treatment .
truth
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But before proceeding to optimism I have to introduce some harsh truths .
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The harsh truth is that the sanctions, in addition to inflicting suffering on millions, have made many very rich.
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Sorry, Colin, but you learned the hard way about the harsh truths of the boxing world.
voice
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What if the fortune-teller was destroying her hope and joy with that strange, harsh voice .
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As he did so, he heard Angel One's harsh voice shout something unintelligible.
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Concealed amongst the coats, Frankie listened to the grunts of the animals and the low harsh voices of the men.
weather
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In winter it's a wildlife haven; even in the harshest weather it affords a rarely failing food source.
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Autumn was here, the countryside was fading under the colder, harsher weather .
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Protect your skin from harsh weather .
winter
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Some people are looking forward to less harsh winters and longer, hotter summers.
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I count the bare spots in the flower beds, where tender plants have been killed by the harsh winter .
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Your plants will need time to become really well established to give them a better chance of surviving a harsh winter .
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Had they been creeping south with the harsher winters ?
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Small mammals avoid the harshest winter conditions by living within or under the snow.
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With limited exceptions, shops and lodging facilities are shuttered during the harsh winters .
word
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He has harsh words to say about eclecticism.
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I should put aside the harsh words that had been said, I should try to make the best of everything.
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It may mean heated arguments, harsh words and hurt feelings, but once the air is cleared everyone will feel better.
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Lee attended both games in Houston, however, and not a harsh word was spoken between them.
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Forgery is a harsh word to use.
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She had only a few harsh words , mostly for Hollywood and its denizens.
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Their brisk assimilation, and their steady success, caused some harsh words to be spoken.
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He planted trees, raised cattle, married, and had seven children, and seldom spoke a harsh word .
world
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This new kind of educational institute was to be not merely a school but also a shelter from a harsh world .
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Hasn't it occurred to you that in today's harsh world it's every girl for herself?
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Perhaps Lagerfeld was trying to remind us that we live in a harsh world .
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Often they preferred a harsh world to a sweeter one.
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Nuclear power still attracts massive subsidies while coal mining is expected to compete in a harsh world market.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a harsh/a cross/an angry etc word
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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"You'll do what I tell you," he said, his voice harsh in her ear.
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a harsh military regime
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a harsh voice
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Cheap loudspeakers often produce a harsh metallic tone.
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Her reaction to the child's bad behaviour was unnecessarily harsh .
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In the harsh light of the street lamps Michelle looked tired and old.
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It may seem harsh to punish him, but he has to learn that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable.
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the harsh Canadian winters
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The government has brought in harsh measures to combat the rioting taking place in many cities.
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The lighting in these offices is so harsh , it gives me a headache.
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The movie has received harsh criticism from the press.
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The stage lighting is harsh .
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The wind made a harsh wailing sound in the trees.
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They suspended him? That seems pretty harsh .
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War toys make children less sensitive to the harsh realities of war.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Faces were stripped of pretence by the pitiless bombardment of harsh reality.
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Flight from reality, especially harsh , unpleasant reality.
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It revived concern over the harsh army round-ups in captured towns and villages.
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Since the building of that dam his terrain had been harsh , brutal and bad.
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The refugees stumbled toward military buses, blinking at the harsh lights.
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These myths serve as justification for the harsh views toward this segment of the population and consequently their punitive treatment.
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Wondering this, I knew it would be harsh of me to blame him.