asperity
1
9.9
- noun
- /əˈspɛrɪti/
- Formal
:
asperidad
- "No, of course I'm not, Sam," Mrs. Wallis said with some asperity.
- said with asperity
Examples
-
"A typical Western example," noted Dias with asperity.
Fiction book (1999) -
"The teacher spoke with asperity when reprimanding the student for his constant disruptions."
-
What accounts for this shift of outlook and the asperity with which it was expressed?
Academic text (2005) -
"Well," he went on with asperity, "I suppose now that you're here we'll have to find something for you to do."
Fiction book (1990) -
With some asperity, I register the observation that a particular genetic makeup cannot guarantee facility in reading classical Chinese.
Academic text (2016) -
"I thought my asperity was warranted, especially as he had just been so unsparing with me.
Fiction book (2000) -
Yet Shchedrin also brings elements of his own modern style and biting asperity to the score.
Blog text (8) -
"He's right," Pasternak replied with sudden asperity.
Fiction book (1993) -
If a comment strikes a wrong note, he responds at an angle, like a politician or a poet, and with a hint of asperity.
Blog text (30) -
" I still remember the letter that the bank sent me when I was a student, pointing out with considerable asperity that I was almost three pounds overdrawn and asking when I would correct this serious irregularity.
Blog text (23)
Synonyms
1
4.6
A harsh, sudden way of speaking that sounds unfriendly
1
9.8
A sharp, bitter way of speaking that hurts people
A harsh tone in speech or writing that hurts people
Speech or writing that is sharp and often hurts people
A harsh, unfriendly manner that hurts or upsets people
Antonyms
Idioms
How Harsh
Surface Forms
Morphology
asperity = asper (opaque) = asper + ity
The noun is formed with the productive suffix '-ity', but the stem 'asper' is not a standalone modern English word and its meaning ('rough, harsh') is not obvious to an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Asperity comes from the Latin word asper, which means 'rough' or 'harsh'. Think of the same root in exasperate ('to make very annoyed'), so asperity describes the rough, sharp way someone speaks or behaves.