HAIR SHIRT Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

hair shirt

noun

Definition of hair shirt

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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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

Noun

Puppies getting their first grooming experience, large breeds that are difficult to transport and dogs in multi-pet households where coordinating salon logistics is a headache all stand to gain as well.

— Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026
Designed for home gardeners who want results without the hassle – no gas, no fumes, and no maintenance headaches.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 July 2026

Definition of headache

Noun

And the yodel knows that the only way to grab the rose is to risk exposing the hand to the thorn.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Later, after a half-day tour to the nearby towns of Lampa and Pucará, the team made magic again, with a lunch in a forest of towering Puya raimondii, otherworldly bromeliads with thorns like piranha teeth.

— Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2026

Definition of thorn

Noun

This is a nuisance for many people who are using generative AI purely to draft text.

— Michael Leone, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
The city of Fort Worth is asking a Tarrant County court to declare an East Lancaster Avenue motel a common nuisance, and force its ownership to fix what the city alleges are years of persistent criminal activity.

— Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026

Definition of nuisance

Noun

Its passage signals that lawmakers recognize the frustration many Americans feel about the high cost of housing.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Over time, that leads to frustration, burnout, and in some cases, outstanding educators leaving the profession altogether.

— Tiffany Thenor, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of frustration

Noun

Trustee Robert Jones renewed his worries that the creation of a subdivision of only the Sacramento and Yolo County portions of the district in April excluded conservative voters in El Dorado County who would likely to vote against the bond measure.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026
Both relatively tolerant, despite the mothers’ initial worries about outsiders, the households mirror one another.

— Judy Berman, Time, 9 July 2026

Definition of worry

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hairs

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hair shirts

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“Hair shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair%20shirt. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of hair shirt

noun

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