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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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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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
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Deferment for financial hardship would also end, though borrowers in default can now rehabilitate their loans twice instead of once.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
-
School board Chairperson Jeanne Berger said in a meeting that Stacy's raise was approved in January 2020, before the pandemic contributed to the district's financial hardships.—
Jolene Almendarez,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Periphery, fresh off their 2025 release Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre, will bring their signature technical wizardry to the tour, while Honey Revenge, whose debut album Retrograde Heart has been praised for its infectious hooks and alternative edge, will add an exciting contrast to the lineup.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
9 July 2025
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This flutter-sleeve top is roomy and billowy for low-key summer days, while this denim jacket has floral details, giving it a feminine edge other toppers lack.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
People.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
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While relapse of multiple myeloma is regarded as inevitable, the timing and severity vary widely.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
14 July 2025
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But in the meantime, relatives could only guess the severity of the injury by observing the facial expressions of Nuggets personnel.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
Some players have been mixed on the game's difficulty – or lack thereof – and PC optimization could certainly be better, but nobody has any complaints about the gameplay itself.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
-
Amid all the difficulties the country faces, the losses in space science might seem trivial.—
Adam Frank,
The Atlantic,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
Rabies is found in the saliva of infected animals and is transmitted primarily through a bite.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
14 July 2025
-
Add in a rotating selection of oysters, raw bar towers, and one of the city’s most fun bites: Siberian caviar and parmesan custard served in a salted waffle cone.—
Lauren Mowery,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
In our experience we were met with outright hostility for our Christian beliefs.—
BJ,
Denver Post,
3 July 2025
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But these weaknesses stem largely from underfunding and political hostility – not from any intrinsic flaw in the model.—
Sumit Agarwal,
The Conversation,
3 July 2025
Noun
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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
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The results revealed that pla depletion decreases the virulence and increases the length of plague infections in mice.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
31 May 2025
Noun
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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
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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 18 Jul. 2025.
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