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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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
-
There was no jealousy, no bitterness.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Perhaps the bitterness refers to the alimony check?—
Jason O'Bryan,
Robb Report,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The regulator emphasized the severity of the breach, noting that trust is fundamental to the relationship between broadcasters and their audiences, particularly for public service broadcasters like the BBC.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Despite the apparent severity of the injury, Rush is still scheduled to compete in a match in Mexico tonight, October 16.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Other service members also said loans from the credit union, which is offering interest-free loans amid the shutdown, was standing between them and financial hardship.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
-
During this time, Chinese workers took up laundry work, which offered economic opportunity for the early immigrants despite legal and social hardships.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Jayden Fraser added a two-point rush, giving his team an 8-7 edge at intermission.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
-
In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) attempted to move forward with a vote on a full-year Defense appropriations bill on Thursday to gain some favor with Senate Democrats on the edge about the shutdown.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Tel Aviv activists hold silent vigils mourning Gaza’s children, confronting public hostility with quiet resilience.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
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The end of hostilities could also revive deals like a joint venture between BP and Abu Dhabi’s national oil company, which had been paused during the war.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Flip invented the Wheezer Scale for gauging the difficulty of hiking up hills.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Citing financial difficulties and a new business action plan, the IDS reduced its print production last January to seven times per semester.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
While the angel gets a little jaded having to work a kitchen job and develops a smoking habit, there are moments of sheer joy as Gabriel hits a dance floor and bites into a juicy burger for the first time.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
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Covered with ants and bleeding from what doctors would later suspect were animal bites, the pig farmer had just made a terrifying discovery near a river in this north Indian village.—
Aishwarya S. Iyer,
CNN Money,
16 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 18 Oct. 2025.
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