with asperity
- idiom
- Formal
:
con aspereza
- "You need to consider my feelings before making that comment," she said with asperity.
- say with asperity
Examples
-
"A typical Western example," noted Dias with asperity.
Fiction book (1999) -
"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) -
There's no toxicology," Greave said with asperity.
Fiction book (1994) -
"I don't appreciate your tone," he replied with asperity during the heated discussion.
-
"If you want my help, you need to ask politely," she warned him with asperity.
Synonyms
49
3.5
In a severe or unkind way that feels unpleasant
47
3.2
In a very angry or hurt way that shows strong negative feeling
44
2.8
In a harsh, angry way when speaking to someone
27
5.5
In a serious and determined way without showing any joy
4
6.4
In a way that shows anger or dislike
4
4.4
To act in a harsh or mean way that hurts others
2
5.1
In an unpleasant, angry, or mean way
2
7.1
In a sharp, slightly angry way that can hurt people's feelings
1
7.9
Saying something in a very harsh and critical way
1
5.1
In a sharp, rude way that shows sarcasm
1
8.1
In a sharp, hurtful way when criticizing someone
1
8.2
In a sharply critical way that can hurt someone's feelings
1
8.8
In a sharp, often cruel way that can hurt people when joking or criticizing
1
7.4
In a very sharp and hurtful way, often about cold or criticism
1
8.0
In a rough way that hurts or upsets someone
1
7.8
In a very strong and unpleasant way that is easy to notice
In a sharp, harsh way that shows strong criticism
In a sharp, bitter way that hurts people with words
In a bitter, angry way during a disagreement
In a very sharp and hurtful way that criticizes others
In a way that aims to hurt someone's feelings
In a sharply critical way that hurts someone's feelings
To criticise someone using very harsh, insulting words
In a harsh, rude way that upsets people when speaking or acting
Antonyms
How Harsh
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a simple compositional 'with' + noun expression indicating manner; if a learner knows 'with' (expressing means/manner) and 'asperity' (severity/sharpness), they can derive 'in a harsh or severe manner'. This follows a common English pattern (e.g. 'with care', 'with anger') and is cross-linguistically transparent.
Etymology
With asperity comes from an old word that meant 'roughness', so imagine someone's words sounding like rough sandpaper. That's why it means 'in a harsh way'.