hair shirt

noun

Definition of hair shirtnext
as in headache
something that is a source of irritation the constant need to cut costs was a hair shirt, but one that the theater company had to live with

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hair shirt Four years later, an America-first cultural crackdown has freed the Met to cast off the hair shirt of reckoning and celebrate its diverse holdings in a spirit of defiance. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 30 June 2025 And that gave birth to the worst Wolverine, which also gave birth to the idea that the suit is a hair shirt. — Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024 Erin Maglaque’s review of a new book on women and sound in Renaissance Italy peels back the layers of a less-talked about form of religious asceticism and control, one where there are no hair shirts or decade-long fasts, just… silence. — Michelle Weber, Longreads, 15 Nov. 2024 The novel aesthetic of Art Nouveau wrapped modernism in the garb of pleasure, instead of in the hair shirt of social obligation and moral uplift. — Regina Cole, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2023 Few people’s utopia involves wearing a hair shirt and giving up culinary pleasures; utopia and sacrifice are, for many, antonyms. — Jan Dutkiewicz, The New Republic, 20 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hair shirt
  1. headache
  2. thorn
  3. nuisance
  4. frustration
  5. worry
Noun
  • West Nile symptoms A full 80% of those infected may not show symptoms, but 20% have flu-like symptoms, such as a fever with headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, rash or fatigue.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Cole Burston / Getty Images With so many clubs still in the mix, even scoreboard watching can induce a headache.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of headache
Noun
  • Roses are considered non-toxic, though thorns can cause injuries and floral preservatives may still pose a risk.
    — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Agoura’s versatile George Hastings will try to be a thorn for Westlake on offense and defense.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of thorn
Noun
  • In March, a Jackson County judge ordered Millennia to board up the property and fix those nuisances.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The number of bears killed by motor vehicle strikes, euthanized as nuisances because of conflicts with humans or poached in the Central Florida region over the past decade total about 1,900.
    — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of nuisance
Noun
  • The frustration within the Democratic caucus immediately prompted some calls for harsh consequences.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The AfD was created in 2013 as a small anti-euro party before morphing into an anti-migrant force that tapped into voter frustration over immigration and the strains many Germans perceive on housing, jobs and public services.
    — Erik Kirschbaum, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of frustration
Noun
  • Bi is at work on a black gown with a veil, which Christian worries is taking up too much time.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, worries over inflation, higher rates and high debt remain in focus, as benchmark borrowing costs around the world extend their multi-decade highs.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of worry

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hairs
hair shirt
hair shirts
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Cite this Entry

“Hair shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair%20shirt. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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