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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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
In an area that used to produce influential Catholic churchmen the way the Dodgers churned out Rookies of the Year, Gomez has amounted to the living equivalent of a hair shirt: a mode of piety that serves no one but the wearer.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
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
Talking about wedding vows was like donning a hair shirt.
—Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 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
Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
In an area that used to produce influential Catholic churchmen the way the Dodgers churned out Rookies of the Year, Gomez has amounted to the living equivalent of a hair shirt: a mode of piety that serves no one but the wearer.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
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
Talking about wedding vows was like donning a hair shirt.
—Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 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
-
But after developing a headache that lasted for several months, a friend convinced her to visit the emergency room.—
Brad Quick,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
-
This can create headaches for physicians and other providers.—
Noam N. Levey,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon, which have killed more than 2,000 people since March 2, and Gaza could also be a thorn in negotiations, as Iran previously insisted that any cease-fire apply to the rest of the region.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Both the Kremlin and White House had valued Eurosceptic Orbán as a kindred spirit ideologically and a thorn in the side of the EU.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
City code does say that livestock cannot become a nuisance.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The spider’s diet includes ants (Hymenoptera), flies and mosquitoes (Diptera) and beetles (Coleoptera) — a lineup that reads like a checklist of common household nuisances.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Precision now saves you from rework and frustration later.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Towns raised his hands — calling for the ball — then dropped them in frustration.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Put the worry of blisters behind you once and for all, and step into spring in style with the most comfortable shoes, according to the internet.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Burritt said the upshot is that his company, as a Nippon subsidiary, is freed from worries about geopolitical uncertainty.—
Cory Schouten,
semafor.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hair shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair%20shirt. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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