asprezza
harshness, bitterness
noun ahs-PRET-tsah Rare
Origin: From Latin asperitas, from asper (rough).
Also means
roughness (of texture or terrain)
Usage Note
Asprezza covers both physical roughness (the harshness of a surface or terrain) and abstract sharpness of tone, flavour, or character. Parlare con asprezza means to speak harshly. The source adjective is aspro (harsh, sour, rough). It should not be confused with amarezza (bitterness born of disappointment).
Examples
"La sua asprezza nel rispondere sorprese tutti."
Natural Translation
The harshness of his reply surprised everyone.
Literal Translation
The his harshness in the replying surprised everyone.
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