1
as in bitterness
a harsh or sharp quality
doesn't like the asperity of most experimental music
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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
as a physically challenged person, he has encountered more than his share of asperities on the road to success
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Recent Examples of asperity
Robin Waterfield’s Aesop’s Fables: A New Translation (Basic Books, $30) renders them in all their feral, fatalistic glory—bursts of Hobbesian asperity with dubious, sometimes conflicting, morals.
—
Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 22 Aug. 2024
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
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
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
Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 22 Aug. 2024
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asperity
Noun
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Trump did not rule out the possibility of economic hardship, arguing that the economy and the U.S. population will have to adjust to the changes being made.—
Rebecca Schneid,
TIME,
9 Mar. 2025
-
One of the main indicators of the increasing hardship was the price of eggs, which hit an all-time high shortly after Trump's inauguration in January.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Using heritage milling techniques, the Candiani fabrics were made on old-school shuttle looms, a time-intensive process that yields long-lasting denim finished with selvedge’s classic self-edge.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Resolution on Joey Bosa, the four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher who is mulling interest from Miami.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The consortium has promised to reduce that to 18 months by next year, but even that’s not nearly fast enough given the severity of the transatlantic security crisis.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
-
Scientists worry that this latest blow, depending on the fire’s severity, could push them over the edge to endangered.—
Ari Plachta,
Sacramento Bee,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The industry had used buyouts and layoffs to shrink staff sizes during the pandemic and faced difficulties in refilling positions when demand picked up.—
Mark Dent,
thehustle.co,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Republicans have been and still are going through a good bit of difficulty in becoming the party of both the rich and the working class.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
For a limited time, orders of any breakfast sandwich, breakfast wrap, egg bites, bakes, lunch sandwiches or pockets will come with a free packet of Truff Original or Jalapeño Lime Hot Sauce.—
Erin Clements,
People.com,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star renowned for its Belle Époque grandeur, welcomed VIP Summit guests to a hospitality oasis in the lavish Prince Rainier III Suite filled with Louis XIII pours, small bites and exquisite city views.—
Forbes Travel Guide,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Russian foreign policy establishment always speculated that Europe would be most likely to eventually seek rapprochement with Moscow, while U.S. hostility to Russia was thought to be hard-wired.—
Fred Weir,
The Christian Science Monitor,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Constantine says that talking about solar’s benefits—whether that’s through creating jobs, reducing blackouts, or pushing electricity prices down—is the key to overcoming hostility.—
Kate Yoder,
WIRED,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Everything about the movement surprised political observers: its virulence, its magnitude, its provincial origins, its apparent lack of structure and leadership, and its adamant refusal to be co-opted by existing political parties and unions.—
Arthur Goldhammer,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Dec. 2018
-
An ePPP is a pathogen that has been modified to enhance its transmissibility and virulence.—
Siladitya Ray,
Forbes,
27 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
The third element of the trio is Mary Flynn, played by the terrific Lindsey Mendez, a 2018 Tony winner for Carousel, with a natural warmth that offsets the character’s growing acerbity.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Dec. 2022
-
The Brodie books demonstrate her great facility with genre, pairing pulse-quickening suspense with Atkinson’s distinctive blend of puckishness and acerbity.—
Sarah Chihaya,
The New Yorker,
16 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Asperity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asperity. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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