hair shirts

noun

plural of hair shirt
as in headaches
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hair shirts
  1. headaches
  2. thorns
  3. frustrations
  4. nuisances
Noun
  • Various parts of the plant have been used in traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda to treat conditions including headaches, colic, dropsy, rheumatism, nervous agitation, constipation, dyspepsia, and infections of the eye and throat.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In Monroe County, Woltanski said funding vouchers in her Florida Keys community has caused some budget headaches.
    — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of headaches
Noun
  • Besides a necklace of thorns, which draws small drops of blood, Kahlo appears to be more focused on the relief of healing.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of thorns
Noun
  • The compounding frustrations of this situation, fueled by too much alcohol, finally expose Uta’s double life.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • How the frustrations of his on-track performance through his final years were real, but the bite-sized reactions didn’t tell the whole story.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of frustrations
Noun
  • But coyotes, with their abundant numbers and reputation as nuisances, are not.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Take some time to seal gaps in window and door frames with weatherproof caulk to prevent fall stink bug problems, along with roaches, boxelder bugs, cluster flies, and other nuisances.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of nuisances
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.

Browse Nearby Words

hair shirt
hair shirts
hairsplitter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hair shirts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair%20shirts. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All