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
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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
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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For example, maror, or bitter herbs, represent the bitterness of slavery.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The rest of the band joins in as Ayewa calls for the listener to look up to a world above war, bitterness, and division.—
Steve Donofrio,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Orkin's bed bug treatment methods may include targeted applications, heat treatments or a combination of strategies, depending on the severity.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The department said the driver's seat was the only part of the car that remained intact, but despite the severity of the crash, the driver suffered only minor injuries.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
To date, the Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation has raised more than $610,000, providing grants, scholarships, and financial support to more than 230 local food and beverage professionals during times of hardship.—
Lauren Crawford,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Those who qualify for a hardship deferment include people receiving certain types of federal or state aid and anyone volunteering in the Peace Corps, Kantrowitz said.—
Kamaron McNair,Annie Nova,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Rainwater tends to accumulate at the road edges.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Rainwater tends to gather along the road edges.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Iran war has entered its fifth week with hostilities escalating across the region.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
-
After all, a bit more than a decade later, hostilities would explode anew in the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, during which Nasser shut the canal again.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
If not treated early, the infection can progress to more serious symptoms, such as joint swelling and arthritis, nerve pain, tingling or numbness, facial muscle weakness, heart inflammation and difficulties with memory or concentration.—
Emily Bache,
The Conversation,
31 Mar. 2026
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Charter school groups and lawmakers who backed the law say IPEC will rescue Indianapolis public schools from financial difficulties and share tax revenues more fairly with the city's myriad charter and innovation schools.—
Jordan Smith,
IndyStar,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Medical experts say if a rattlesnake bites, keep the area still, at or below heart level, do not apply ice, do not cut the wound, and do not suck out the venom – and seek help immediately.—
Jasmine Viel,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
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Eat the elephant one bite at a time, Redd recommends.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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To predict how an outbreak will progress, epidemiologists often use stock-and-flow diagrams: illustrations featuring stocks of people (susceptible, infected, recovered, dead) and arrows showing flows between them based on factors such as exposure or virulence.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
4 Mar. 2026
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Genes involved in adaptation, such as those linked to virulence, metabolism or host interaction, also move with them.—
Lily Peck,
The Conversation,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Asperity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asperity. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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