asperate

[ as-puh-reyt ]

/ ˈæs pəˌreɪt /

Save This Word!

Definition of asperate

verb (used with object), as·per·at·ed, as·per·at·ing.

to make rough, harsh, or uneven: a voice asperated by violent emotion.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of asperate

First recorded in 1650–60, asperate is from the Latin word asperātus (past participle of asperāre). See asper², -ate¹

Words nearby asperate

aspect ratio, aspectual, aspen, Aspen Hill, asper, asperate, Asperger's syndrome, Asperger syndrome, Asperges, aspergillosis, aspergillum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use asperate in a sentence

But in the ordinary life there in my time there was little to "asperate" the douceur.
A History of the French Novel, Vol. 2|George Saintsbury

British Dictionary definitions for asperate

asperate

asperous (ˈæspərəs)

/ (ˈæspəˌreɪt) /

adjective

(of plant parts) having a rough surface due to a covering of short stiff hairs

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012