asperities

noun

plural of asperity
as in hardships
something that is a cause for suffering or special effort especially in the attainment of a goal as a physically challenged person, he has encountered more than his share of asperities on the road to success

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for asperities
  1. hardships
  2. difficulties
Noun
  • On Zimbabwean social media, some people openly celebrated his death, citing his wealth and political connections as reasons for their anger over the country's economic hardships and claims surrounding his business dealings.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • As the lead actor in a YA drama, the 22-year-old felt the responsibility to try and accurately depict teenage hardships and resilience.
    — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of hardships
Noun
  • Or a national wealth tax could attempt to avoid such obvious legal difficulties.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • On Sunday morning, Associated Press journalists reported seeing multiple polling places where voting couldn’t begin on time because of difficulties with the new digital technology.
    — Eldar Emric, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of difficulties
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

aspects
asperities
asperity
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Asperities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asperities. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All