1
as in bitterness
a harsh or sharp quality
doesn't like the asperity of most experimental music
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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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Coffee is particularly simpatico in chocolate recipes, where the coffee’s bitterness rounds out the chocolate flavor without overpowering it.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Chocolate in this range delivers intensity without bitterness and often carries subtle fruity or nutty notes, especially varieties sourced from South America.—
Amber Love Bond,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And numerous studies, including new research in 2025, show covid vaccine benefits include a reduction in the severity of disease, although the protective effects wane over time.—
Stephanie Armour,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Because of its severity and potential for outbreak, the World Health Organization lists the Nipah virus as a priority pathogen for research and preparedness.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The protests began in late December amid widespread anger over economic hardship, political repression and corruption, according to reports.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
In 2024, 35% of hardship distributions were used to avoid a home foreclosure or eviction, which remains the most common reason for this type of withdrawal, according to Vanguard.—
Sarah Agostino,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Having explored the Mariana Trench, the summit of Everest, and the edge of space, Victor Vescovo knows what awe feels like in its most dramatic forms.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In short, the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war are a weird laboratory for modern warfare, which, against all odds, has given Ukraine a considerable tactical edge over its much larger adversary.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Stuart said the measure reflects a sobering escalation in political hostility and violence.—
Jack O'Connor,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
-
In his second term, their defining emotions are hostility and happiness.—
Christine Zhang,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The victims, all elementary school students, got into difficulty in a frozen pond in Bonham, a city about 60 miles northeast of Dallas, triggering a desperate effort by their mother and a neighbor to save them, FOX 4 reported.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Analysts say Russian President Vladimir Putin is in no rush to find a settlement, despite his army's difficulties on the roughly 600-mile front line.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
One bite of the soufflé is enough to shatter any notion chili has no place in a French restaurant.—
Claire Ballor
Staff Reporter,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Jan. 2026
-
In June 2022, Kang wrote a second post about Valerio that didn’t mention the bite.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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 1 Feb. 2026.
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