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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And after spending most of Sunday as the guy the crowd didn’t want to see close the deal, Clark didn’t respond with bitterness.
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Crisp and refreshing, the drink’s grapefruit bitterness was softened by carbonation, giving Mexico’s national cocktail a lively upgrade.
Noun
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In Guatire, in Miranda state, preliminary reports indicate that several people were injured, though the severity of the injuries and the exact number of those affected remain unclear.
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Too much of it can cause brain damage, and pediatricians must regularly check for bilirubin in newborns to measure the severity of the jaundice and determine whether the child needs treatment.
Noun
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The decrease in customers comes at a crucial time, after years of hardships for local restaurateurs.
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The town’s predicament highlights the limits of any ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, and the lingering hardship faced by residents whose lives have been upended by years of conflict.
Noun
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Puff sleeves, a scalloped hem, lace trim, and eyelet detailing give this top a soft, feminine edge.
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Rainwater tends to stockpile on the edges of roads.
Noun
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The accord called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a halt to hostilities across the region, including in Lebanon.
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The memorandum of understanding calls for an end to all hostilities, including in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have been fighting Hezbollah.
Noun
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Patients face access issues, opaque pricing, surprise bills, fragmented records, and difficulty navigating payer networks, while providers are frustrated by the high administrative burden and challenges getting paid for quality care.
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Although my bridge remained smoother, I was left with one side of my nose collapsed, a droopy tip, and even breathing difficulties—my nasal passages always felt kind of clogged.
Noun
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Aguirre hoped his team would shake off nerves following the emotional opener at Azteca Stadium and show more bite in its second game against South Korea, but his team didn’t have much power behind its attack during the game’s first 45 minutes.
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Nosh on lamb skewers or savor bites of sweet plantains.
Noun
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Google also mentioned that the system could do more general hypothesizing that doesn’t involve drugs, using an example of the spread of virulence genes in bacteria.
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To predict how an outbreak will progress, epidemiologists often use stock-and-flow diagrams: illustrations featuring stocks of people (susceptible, infected, recovered, dead) and arrows showing flows between them based on factors such as exposure or virulence.
Cite this Entry
“Asperity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asperity. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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