asperity

UK: /æˈspɛrɪti/ US: /əˈspɛrɪti/ ,(ə sper′i tē)

Inflections of 'asperity' (n): npl: asperities

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

as•per•i•ty /əˈspɛrɪti/   n. [uncountable]

1. harshness or sharpness of tone, temper, or manner;
   severity:
   criticized them with some asperity.
2. hardship;
   difficulty;
   rigor:
   a climate of great asperity.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

as•per•i•ty  (ə sper′i tē), n., pl. -ties. 

1. harshness or sharpness of tone, temper, or manner;
   severity;
   acrimony:
   The cause of her anger did not warrant such asperity.
2. hardship;
   difficulty;
   rigor:
   the asperities of polar weather.
3. roughness of surface;
   unevenness.
4. something rough or harsh.

• Latin
• Anglo-French, Old French
• Latin asperitās, equivalent. to asper rough + -itās -ity; replacing Middle English asprete
• Anglo-French)
• late Middle English asperite (1200–50

Synonyms

• 1. acerbity, bitterness, astringency.

Antonyms

• 1. affability, cheerfulness.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

asperity / æˈspɛrɪtɪ/ noun ( -ties)

1. roughness or sharpness of temper
2. roughness or harshness of a surface, sound, taste, etc
3. the elastically compressed region of contact between two surfaces caused by the normal force

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin asperitās, from asper rough