asperity

noun

ə-ˈsper-ə-tē How to pronounce asperity (audio)
Definition of asperitynext
1
as in bitterness
a harsh or sharp quality doesn't like the asperity of most experimental music

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in severity
biting sharpness of feeling or expression she responded with such asperity that we knew she was deeply offended by the question

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3
as in hardship
something that is a cause for suffering or special effort especially in the attainment of a goal He overcame his share of asperities on the road to success.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of asperity Faults typically contain surface irregularities, known as asperities, which prevent smooth movement between tectonic plates. — Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025 What gives the movie much of its poignancy and power is Hart’s realization, and ours, that the asperity and regret showcased in his famous lyrics are no longer in fashion. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Oct. 2025 Advertisement On a re-read, Orwell’s narrative holds up, in large part due to the asperity of the prose and the prescient description of how fascism can creep into any society that takes freedom for granted. — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2023 Her asperity has brought upon her the full flaming rage of the Twittersphere. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2022 Imagine Don Draper’s grasp of American psychopathology delivered with the pithy asperity of Emily Dickinson. — Megan O’Grady, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2020 By the time Keane wrote Devoted Ladies, a note of asperity had crept into her fiction. — Francine Prose, The New York Review of Books, 22 Nov. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asperity
  1. bitterness
  2. severity
  3. hardship
  4. edge
  5. hostility
  6. difficulty
  7. bite
  8. virulence
Noun
  • But few, if any, can match the tradition, scale, and bitterness of the yearly clash between Alabama and Tennessee on the third Saturday in October.
    — Austin Evans, Southern Living, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Written with a reporter’s sharp eye for detail and a remarkable lack of anger or bitterness, this is a compelling story of courage and grace.
    — Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of bitterness
Noun
  • But genuinely funny moments are rare, badly outnumbered by done-to-death musings regarding the mysteries of being alive and torturous melodramatic moments in which Klara dully absorbs the severity of Josie’s illness and Chrissy’s sorrow.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Gassman emphasized that the severity of coastal flooding will depend largely on weather conditions.
    — Ted Scouten, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of severity
Noun
  • Though the tableaux depict hardships endured by a painter born in 1593, Artemisia, the impressions convey yearning, grief, suffering and resilience that transcend centuries.
    — Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Widespread civil unrest over teacher shortages and economic hardship escalated across France over the weekend as rioters clashed with police and stormed public buildings.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of hardship
Noun
  • Sequenced at the center of a three-track medley, its death-dream logic deliberately evokes the SMiLE era’s dark, confusing edge.
    — Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Wear one in beige or white to add a bit of brightness to your look, or black for some edge.
    — Michel Mejía, Glamour, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of edge
Noun
  • That does not mean that everyone who supports a ban is motivated by hostility toward women.
    — Jesse Rhodes, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Weil offers an extreme version of this hostility to the self.
    — James Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of hostility
Noun
  • Both candidates, however, closed out the campaign’s final hours promising expensive new subsidies, highlighting the political difficulties of reining in public debt, which has increased under Lula by 10 percentage points to more than 82% of GDP.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In fact, Bolsonaro’s campaign had also requested an extension in some areas, citing difficulties voters faced reaching polling stations because of heavy rain.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of difficulty
Noun
  • Shamonda virus is spread by bites from a type of fly called a midge.
    — Amanda Erickson, STAT, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Eleven people remain missing after an 89-hour search; several survivors suffered injuries consistent with shark bites.
    — Jaimie Ding, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of bite
Noun
  • Firefighters and authorities in both European countries were caught off guard by the virulence of the fires, which were fueled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • The virulence of the French and Spanish wildfires, fueled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change, caught fire crews and authorities off guard.
    — Mark Carlson, Fortune, 25 July 2026
Definition of virulence

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Cite this Entry

“Asperity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asperity. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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