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
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Of the many types of basil, the classic Italian 'Treviso' variety stands out for resisting bitterness, staying tender longer, and being slow to flower even as summer heats up.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Red flags included bitterness or any metallic notes the beans may have picked up during processing.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Those who break the rules are hit with fines depending on the severity of the infraction.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
-
So consider the size and severity of scratches and markings, as well as the item's price.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Merriam-Webster defines it as the description of someone or something in a state of possibly irreversible misfortune and hardship.—
Brenda Looper,
Washington Post,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Among community theaters forced to close due to financial hardships was the nearby Artisan Center Theater in Hurst.—
Rick Mauch,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Rye whiskey is the drier and spicier cousin of bourbon with an herbaceous edge, an edge which (as with the Sazerac, La Louisiane and others) is given a few dozen exclamation points with a dash of absinthe.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Cake mix, lemon pie filling, and butter come together in the oven to create crisp edges and a gooey, citrusy center, while a little cream cheese in the mix rounds out the lemon’s brightness.—
Maggie Meyer Glisan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
After years of fighting for its survival in the face of hacks and growing regulatory hostility, crypto’s fortunes abruptly change.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Jewish and civil rights groups blasted the move as weakening safeguards, fueling criticism that Mamdani’s early agenda signals hostility toward Israel and the Jewish community.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Their study on the jagged frontier shows that AI capability spikes and dips across activities rather than rising smoothly with difficulty.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Symptoms include breathing difficulties, fatigue and loss of taste.—
Stephanie Stahl,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
From comfort food classics to more elevated plates, several bites stood out at a preview event.—
Alexa Stone
January 9,
Kansas City Star,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Guests will naturally gravitate towards these pairings, ensuring the perfect bite.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Donald Trump’s back-to-back tirades this week against Somali immigrants in Minnesota, many of whom are U.S. citizens, brought into the open the kind of virulence that, during his first term, the President mostly tried to keep behind closed doors.—
Cristian Farias,
New Yorker,
4 Dec. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Asperity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asperity. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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