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
He overcame 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
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
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
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
Noun
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For the next 10 to 48 hours, the paste is gently stirred over very low heat, a step that cooks away any excess bitterness, acidity, and liquid.—
Aleksandra Crapanzano,
The Atlantic,
27 Oct. 2025
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This brightness is anchored by the deep earthy bitterness of the Cynar, the Japanese Whiskey offers a soft grain finish, and the salt keeps the whole project from becoming too bitter.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Yet, the severity of gendered crime during Partition wasn’t caused by an arbitrary upsurge of madness.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Allergic reactions vary in severity from mild symptoms such as hives and lip swelling to life-threatening complications, such as anaphylaxis, that may include fatal respiratory problems.—
Matthew Robinson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Below, Deadline speaks to Victor about their directorial debut, building a loving friendship and getting through the unspeakable hardships that life can throw at you.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
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Now employers must show a substantial hardship when refusing to honor religious beliefs or practices, such as allowing employees to wear a yarmulke, hijab or turban, pray at work or to schedule work around religious observances.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Edis, chief of the Landon family office and a protégé of its founder, the late swashbuckling billionaire Timothy Landon, who’s legendary as the chief political advisor to his military school chum, the sultan of Oman, notes that Swain gives Houlihan Lokey an extra edge.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
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This is the original pool, an infinity-edge spot where, years ago, Bobby would spend hours splashing and then join us at Lotus for lunch.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In 2018 and 2019, the two exchanged fire in rounds of hostilities that would frequently end within 48 hours.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
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Trump will need to hope for hostilities to be short-lasting, or for these voters to be forgiving.—
Javier Corrales,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Cheryl Burke slams 'cruel' speculation about her appearance The two-time champion also reflected on the difficulties of navigating the dynamic between dancing pros and the judges.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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The jury president acknowledged the difficulty of comparing the diverse slate of competition titles.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Where lions kill quickly, wild dogs devour their prey alive, one bite at a time.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
30 Oct. 2025
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Five of the bakery’s brunch bites are lowering costs, with its Turkish eggs dish taking the largest drop at $3.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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One Pasteurella-like microbe carried genetic hints of virulence and has ties to deadly outbreaks in modern African elephants.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
30 Sep. 2025
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While VUMs require more testing to establish their true risks to public health, VOIs are explicitly confirmed to have genetic changes that affect virus characteristics like transmissibility and virulence.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Asperity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asperity. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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