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
-
The fight over transit funding is just one part of a bigger headache—Pennsylvania’s budget is more than nine weeks late.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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Symptoms of Chagas disease include fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, and eyelid swelling.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Primus has expressed skepticism about rail mergers and would likely have been a thorn in the side of this rail merger.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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The Angels pulled out a 4-3 victory as Jo Adell remained a thorn in the Royals’ side.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Couples who respect yellow lights tend to build trust, because hesitation is treated as valuable input, not as a nuisance.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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In this era of college athletics what was once a nuisance and an annoyance — college classes — now often appear to not even be a part of the equation.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As the Supreme Court increasingly shows frustration with the overreach of lower court judges, the justices could be motivated to take up cases more quickly on matters where lower courts are ignoring their emergency docket orders, such as with the firing of independent agency heads.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
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Advocates expressed frustration, emphasizing the need for comfortable and safe air travel for all passengers.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The prospect of governments being ousted in Tokyo and Paris fueled further uncertainty, while investors voiced worry over expansive deficit spending in London and Berlin.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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My worry is that inaction is not a strategy.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hair shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair%20shirt. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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