Word Nerd Alert: Asperity

Noun

asperity

1  : roughness of manner or of temper : harshness of behavior or speech that expresses bitterness or anger

“He asked with some asperity just what they were implying.”

2  : rigor, severity

“… whether hearing herself described as a 'lovely woman' softened the asperity of her grief …”

3  : roughness of surface : unevenness