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
And that gave birth to the worst Wolverine, which also gave birth to the idea that the suit is a hair shirt.
—
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 25 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
This is a coming-of-age story in which the transition from adolescence to adulthood is akin to swapping one hair shirt for another.
—Jake Cline, Washington Post, 27 May 2022
Aiden needs neither hair shirt nor whip to self-flagellate, and Simone writes of depression with a visceral ache.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 11 Nov. 2021
To toughen it up, Ford resorted to that longtime crossover hair shirt, the roof rack.
—Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 6 July 2020
Asking billions of people to don an unwashed hair shirt wouldn’t work; the solution would have to be rapid technological innovation.
—Jon Gertner, Wired, 1 Apr. 2020
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 25 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
This is a coming-of-age story in which the transition from adolescence to adulthood is akin to swapping one hair shirt for another.
—Jake Cline, Washington Post, 27 May 2022
Aiden needs neither hair shirt nor whip to self-flagellate, and Simone writes of depression with a visceral ache.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 11 Nov. 2021
To toughen it up, Ford resorted to that longtime crossover hair shirt, the roof rack.
—Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 6 July 2020
Asking billions of people to don an unwashed hair shirt wouldn’t work; the solution would have to be rapid technological innovation.
—Jon Gertner, Wired, 1 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hair shirt
Noun
-
Early signs of the disease include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, while half of all HPS patients also go through headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal pain.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Symptoms include depression, disinterest in the job, listlessness, apathy, insomnia, stomach upset, headache and dizziness.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Judges' grants of nationwide relief have been a thorn in the administration's side since Trump took office in January.—
Christina Gatti,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The human invaders as usual are a major threat to Pandora in an existential sense, plus former military guy/Na'vi villain Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) is a constant thorn in their sides.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Several hundred additional complaints by public school districts across the US claim the platforms have created a public nuisance that’s undermining the educational system.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
-
At first, the un-washable Fisk murals are a nuisance to the new mayor, but there are ways to take advantage of the situation.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Jeff: When meeting with reporters on Wednesday, Chastain indicated he was mystified and offended by Logano’s post-race comments expressing frustration with the Trackhouse Racing driver.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
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Several owners of food and drink establishments have spoken with The Star in recent months to share their frustrations about property crimes affecting businesses across Kansas City.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Southeast Side resident Anne Holcomb emphasized a sense of urgency as worries grow in her community about the environmental impacts of a PsiQuantum computing facility that will be built in the area.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Inflation, tariff worries drive consumers' outlooks to lowest levels in 12 years What are tariffs?—
Bailey Schulz,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hair shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair%20shirt. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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