Meaning & use
asperity
Harshness or sharpness of tone, manner, or temper.
See it in a sentence
He replied with such asperity that the whole room fell silent.
Years of hardship had given her voice a certain asperity that unsettled strangers.
A note on using this word
Asperity usually describes tone of voice or manner in speech, rather than physical roughness.
Words with a similar meaning
harshnesssharpness
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
gentlenesswarmth
Make it your own
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