asperity
harshness of tone or manner
Word origin: From Latin asperitas, roughness, from asper rough.
Asperity in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing asperity in a sentence.
She rebuked the intern with unexpected asperity.
She corrected the intern with an asperity that left the whole office silent.
Quick GRE check
3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?
Verbal · Sentence Equivalence
Because the evidence linking the additive to the illness remained blank, regulators declined to issue a ban and instead called for further study.
Using “asperity” well
Asperity denotes harshness or sharpness of tone and manner, often a sudden severity in how something is said. It can also describe roughness of surface or harshness of conditions.
More GRE words starting with A
to lower in rank, dignity, or self-respect
to make someone feel embarrassed or ashamed
to lessen in intensity or amount
to formally give up power or responsibility
departing from what is normal or expected
a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected
a state of temporary suspension or inactivity
to regard with strong disgust or hatred
Questions about “asperity”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.