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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Example Sentences
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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
-
Regardless of the scheduling headache, there's still no indication the funding bill would pass, unless Republicans and Democrats can strike a deal on health care.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
-
In the year before his death, Thomas had been struggling with his mental health, as well as daily headaches and memory loss, his parents said at the time.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Often a thorn in the side of leadership, Massie is unlikely to strike any deal with leadership to avoid a vote on releasing the Epstein files.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Buds will fail to open properly, and some of the canes will have multitudes of thorns.—
Neil Sperry,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Lorincz, who is white, hated loud noise, and called police and first responders multiple times over the years claiming the children were trespassing, bothersome, threatening, and a nuisance.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
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Establishing a track record of violations could potentially help the city in future civil suits brought against the Eco Motel, or any other property considered a nuisance.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The frustration that had been simmering throughout a dreadful collective display reached combustion levels.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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In fact, the American captain has no hope of putting his frustration behind him anytime soon.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Executives and industry watchers say the sector has fared better than expected, but there are now growing worries around the health of consumers and suppliers, CNBC’s Michael Wayland reports.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
20 Oct. 2025
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As the days without their parents pass, their worries grow.—
Maria Santana,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hair shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair%20shirt. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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