1
as in bitterness
a harsh or sharp quality
doesn't like the asperity of most experimental music
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asperity
Noun
-
Colvin’s perseverance through these hardships captured media attention and was eventually portrayed in the major motion picture, When the Game Stands Tall.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
11 Aug. 2025
-
As shared by the team on social media, the Fever went out and signed Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract following the most recent injuries.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Back to the top of the order, Jurickson Profar got a changeup on the outside edge of the zone and lined it to left field for a double.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
14 Aug. 2025
-
The Diamondbacks were given a slight edge on betting lines to win more games than the Padres.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The speedy identification of cases can affect whether a person is eligible for post-exposure treatments, too, which can limit the severity of the disease and sometimes prevent illness altogether.—
Kristen Jordan Shamus,
Freep.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Upon arrival, the police department and assisting agencies, after determining the severity of the crash, closed Route 30 in both directions between Orchard Road and Horseman Trail for several hours, the release said.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Morocco's desert landscape will add to the difficulty of the training exercises.—
Emmett Prosser,
jsonline.com,
9 Aug. 2025
-
Portage now has 21 parks and has had discussions in recent years over the difficulty of maintaining them.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
There's a full beer and cocktail menu along with snacks and bites.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Choose cloth, leather, rubber or anything thick that will protect you from accidental bites, says Chuang.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
There is a clear correlation between being the victim of hostility and suffering from negative mental health or even physical health.—
Jo Causon,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Time and again the president has expressed optimism after speaking with Putin about winding down the hostilities.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Despite that virulence, some forms of plague did ultimately die out.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
29 May 2025
-
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
Noun
-
The third element of the trio is Mary Flynn, played by the terrific Lindsey Mendez, a 2018 Tony winner for Carousel, with a natural warmth that offsets the character’s growing acerbity.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Dec. 2022
-
The Brodie books demonstrate her great facility with genre, pairing pulse-quickening suspense with Atkinson’s distinctive blend of puckishness and acerbity.—
Sarah Chihaya,
The New Yorker,
16 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Asperity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asperity. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share