Asperity \As*per"i*ty\, n.; pl. Asperities. [L. asperitas, fr. asper rough: cf. F. asp['e]rit['e].]

1. Roughness of surface; unevenness; -- opposed to smoothness. "The asperities of dry bodies." --Boyle. [1913 Webster]

2. Roughness or harshness of sound; that quality which grates upon the ear; raucity. [1913 Webster]

3. Roughness to the taste; sourness; tartness. [1913 Webster]

4. Moral roughness; roughness of manner; severity; crabbedness; harshness; -- opposed to mildness. "Asperity of character." --Landor. [1913 Webster]

It is no very cynical asperity not to confess obligations where no benefit has been received. --Johnson. [1913 Webster]

5. Sharpness; disagreeableness; difficulty. [1913 Webster]

The acclivities and asperities of duty. --Barrow. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Acrimony; moroseness; crabbedness; harshness; sourness; tartness. See Acrimony. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

85 Moby Thesaurus words for "asperity": acerbity, acid, acidity, acidness, acidulousness, acridity, acrimony, anger, animosity, astringency, austerity, bad humor, bad temper, bile, biliousness, bitingness, bitter resentment, bitterness, bitterness of spirit, bumpiness, causticity, causticness, choler, choppiness, corrosiveness, cragginess, cuttingness, discontent, edge, gall, gnashing of teeth, granulation, grimness, hard feelings, hardness, hardship, harshness, heartburning, hispidity, ill humor, ill nature, ill temper, incisiveness, inclemency, inequality, irregularity, irritability, jaggedness, joltiness, keenness, mordacity, mordancy, nonuniformity, piercingness, piquancy, poignancy, pungency, raggedness, rancor, rankling, rigor, rough air, roughness, ruggedness, rugosity, scraggliness, severity, sharpness, slow burn, snappishness, soreness, sourness, spleen, stabbingness, stringency, tartness, tooth, trenchancy, turbulence, unevenness, unsmoothness, ununiformity, vicissitude, virulence, waspishness

Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
 

asperity

Source: WordNet (r) 2.0
 

Asperity \As*per"i*ty\, n.; pl. Asperities. [L. asperitas, fr. asper rough: cf. F. asp['e]rit['e].]

1. Roughness of surface; unevenness; -- opposed to smoothness. ``The asperities of dry bodies.'' --Boyle.

2. Roughness or harshness of sound; that quality which grates upon the ear; raucity.

3. Roughness to the taste; sourness; tartness.

4. Moral roughness; roughness of manner; severity; crabbedness; harshness; -- opposed to mildness. ``Asperity of character.'' --Landor.

It is no very cynical asperity not to confess obligations where no benefit has been received. --Johnson.

5. Sharpness; disagreeableness; difficulty.

The acclivities and asperities of duty. --Barrow.

Syn: Acrimony; moroseness; crabbedness; harshness; sourness; tartness. See Acrimony.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)