short shrift
noun
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We’ve got a confession to make, but we’ll keep it brief: while it’s technically possible to make “long shrift” of something, you’re unlikely to find long shrift in our dictionary anytime soon. Short shrift, on the other hand, has been keeping it real—real terse, that is—for centuries. The earliest known use of the phrase comes from 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.” Although now archaic, the noun shrift was understood in Shakespeare’s time to refer to the confession or absolution of sins, so “make a short shrift” meant, quite literally, “keep your confession short.” However, 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.
Examples of short shrift in a Sentence
Carlina Rivera, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
Indeed, there might not be anything of substance, or potentially given a short shrift of handwaving.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Darnold, who by NFL rules was required to meet the media Wednesday and after Friday's practice, also made short shrift of questions about his injury.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Jan. 2026
Investment in innovation and future technologies cannot be given short shrift compared with social spending.
—Sudha David-Wilp, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short shrift
Cite this Entry
“Short shrift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short%20shrift. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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