#26 Once a Month Teach Someone a Word That I Just Learned (2/33)

July 2009 Word of the Month: Asperity

Yet another word that I have learned from reading the Outlander books. I was hanging out with a very smart girl this weekend and I taught her three new words! The other two words were alacrity and pugnacious. This is the word, however, that I think I am most likely to use in speech and written word so I thought it would be a good word of the month.

The definition according to dictionary.com:

as-per-i-ty [uh-sper-i-tee]

-noun
1. harshness or sharpness of tone, temper or manner: The cause of her anger did not warrant such asperity.
2. hardship; difficulty; rigor: the asperities of polar weather.
3. roughness of surface; unevenness.
4. something rough or harsh

Synonyms: acerbity, bitterness, astringency

Go forth and use this word!