short shrift

noun

Updated on: 31 Mar 2018

Definition of short shrift

1 : barely adequate time for confession before execution

2 a : little or no attention or consideration

gave the problem short shrift

b : quick work —usually used in the phrase make short shrift of

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short shrift was our Word of the Day on 06/18/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of short shrift in a Sentence

He gives short shrift to the author's later works.

Recent Examples of short shrift from the Web

The report explains the different ways online education is provided to students, and looks at the issue of student data privacy, which gets short shrift from policymakers eager to push online education.

— valerie strauss, Washington Post, "What parents should know right now about online learning," 26 Mar. 2018
If Juliette receives the shortest shrift, Jérémie has (in this context) the biggest nightmare: a winemaking father-in-law whose palette doesn’t cut it.

— ben kenigsberg, New York Times, "Review: ‘Back to Burgundy,’ a Lightheaded Ode to Winemaking," 22 Mar. 2018
Even among monument allies, the tribes got short shrift.

— jake bullinger, Outside Online, "DOI Emails on Bears Ears Prove Trump Ignored Natives," 19 Mar. 2018
As a consequence, basic research and its budget are given short shrift.

— robbert dijkgraaf, Scientific American, "Curiosity-Driven Knowledge Is a Vital Form of Infrastructure," 1 June 2017
Dishes were made and presented with care; even the refried beans, which sometimes get short shrift in kitchens, had more flavor at Las 7 Estrellas.

— carol deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Dishes that shine at Las 7 Estrellas Mexican restaurant," 20 Feb. 2018
But the House bill is likely to be changed in the Senate, where Democrats have vowed to block any spending bill that short shrifts funding for domestic spending.

— deirdre shesgreen, USA TODAY, "House passes short-term spending bill as Congress nears budget deal that could break impasse," 6 Feb. 2018
Media: Buzz 60 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who went on stage in Munich just before McMaster, gave short shrift to the allegations.

— patrick donahue and henry meyer, Houston Chronicle, "McMaster: Evidence of Russian meddling is now 'incontrovertible'," 17 Feb. 2018
And all of these moments tended to get short shrift in favor of the ongoing story of Jack’s death, with characters speaking of his goodness in increasingly outsized ways in order to amp up the eventual catharsis of his onscreen death.

— daniel d'addario, Time, "Jack Deserved Better Than His Super Bowl Sunday Death on This Is Us," 5 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'short shrift.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The word shrift is an archaic noun referring to the confession or absolution of sins. These days, "shrift" is rarely encountered on its own, but it does keep frequent company with "short" in the phrase "short shrift." The earliest known use of the phrase comes from William Shakespeare's play Richard III, in which Lord Hastings, who has been condemned by King Richard to be beheaded, is told by Sir Richard Ratcliffe to "Make a short shrift" as the king "longs to see your head." Shakespeare uses this phrase quite literally ("keep your confession short"), but since at least the 19th century the phrase has been used figuratively to refer to a small or inadequate amount of time or attention given to something.

First Known Use of short shrift

1594

SHORT SHRIFT Defined for English Language Learners

short shrift

noun

Definition of short shrift for English Language Learners

: little or no attention or thought

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short shrift

Definition of short shrift

short shrift was our Word of the Day on 06/18/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of short shrift in a Sentence

Recent Examples of short shrift from the Web

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First Known Use of short shrift

SHORT SHRIFT Defined for English Language Learners

short shrift

Definition of short shrift for English Language Learners

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Definition of short shrift

short shrift was our Word of the Day on 06/18/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of short shrift in a Sentence

Recent Examples of short shrift from the Web

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First Known Use of short shrift

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