Synonyms of asperity

asperity

noun

ə-ˈsper-ə-tē 

1

as in bitterness

a harsh or sharp quality

doesn't like the asperity of most experimental music

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bitterness
• edge
• bite
• roughness
• acerbity
• harshness
• severity
• acidity
• acuteness
• sharpness
• poignancy
• acrimony
• poignance
• acridity
• pungency
• spice
• tartness
• keenness
• acridness
• severeness
• acidness
• acrimoniousness
• punch
• tang
• shrillness
• virulence
• ginger
• maliciousness
• vitriol
• pointedness
• raucousness
• thorniness
• cattiness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• softness
• gentleness
• mildness
• kindliness

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bitterness
• severity
• hostility
• virulence
• corrosiveness
• malice
• anger
• acidity
• acrimony
• acridity
• bile
• virulency
• harshness
• vitriol
• sternness
• tartness
• resentment
• coldness
• acridness
• venom
• gruffness
• vehemence
• iciness
• crossness
• mordancy
• cattiness
• spite
• rudeness
• acidness
• impoliteness
• surliness
• incivility
• animosity
• vindictiveness
• jealousy
• relentlessness
• sourness
• scorn
• malevolence
• ungraciousness
• rancor
• gall
• spleen
• nastiness
• jaundice
• pique
• sour grapes
• discourteousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cordiality
• diplomacy
• politeness
• geniality
• kindness
• courtesy
• civility
• sympathy
• graciousness
• tenderness
• sweetness
• warmth
• softness
• compassion
• tactfulness
• smoothness
• suavity
• urbanity
• oiliness
• unctuousness
• suaveness

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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hardship
• difficulty
• hardness
• obstacle
• rigor
• adversity
• hurdle
• trial
• discomfort
• inconvenience
• interference
• misfortune
• nuisance
• embarrassment
• obstruction
• impediment
• tribulation
• inhibition
• tragedy
• mishap
• hindrance
• let
• affliction
• rub
• encumbrance
• handicap
• knock
• snag
• chain
• deterrent
• hitch
• shackle
• stop
• trammel
• catch
• manacle
• crimp
• block
• clog
• hump
• bar
• fetter
• pons asinorum
• check

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• opportunity
• advantage
• break

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of asperity

Faults typically contain surface irregularities, known as asperities, which prevent smooth movement between tectonic plates. — Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

What gives the movie much of its poignancy and power is Hart’s realization, and ours, that the asperity and regret showcased in his famous lyrics are no longer in fashion. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Oct. 2025

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

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