harsh truth
Difficult to accept
A harsh truth is a fact or reality that is painful or uncomfortable to acknowledge but nonetheless accurate.
The phrase implies the information would be easier to reject than accept: The harsh truth is that most startups fail.
It often precedes unwelcome assessments delivered with blunt honesty rather than diplomatic softening.
- brutalSavagely harsh or severe
- bluntDull or tactlessly direct
- realityWhat actually exists
- painfulCausing hurt or ache
- honestyTruthfulness, sincerity
hard to hear · bitter · bitter pill · stark · uncomfortable · wake-up call · cold · hard facts · unflinching · sobering · raw · difficult · candid · unvarnished · reckoning · sting · medicine · mirror
- reality checkswake-up call, reality check, eye-opener, sobering moment
- harsh realitiesreality check, brutal honesty, reality, wake-up call, bad news
- disillusionmentdisillusionment, disenchantment, disillusion, lost innocence, lost faith
- Blunt honestyblunt, candid, direct, frank, honest
- candorfrankness, directness, bluntness, candor, straightforwardness
- real worldphysical reality, daily life, lived experience, real life, natural world
harsh truthwhite lie
Harmless minor falsehood
polite fiction · noble lie · wishful thinking · self-deception · denial
harsh truthgood news
Favorable information received
silver lining · reassurance · glad tidings · pleasant surprise · encouragement
harsh, harshly, harshness, harsher, harshest, truth, true, truly, truthful