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
-
Both conditions also involve symptoms outside the intestines, such as headaches or brain fog.5 Only celiac disease involves symptoms related to malnutrition, which occurs because the small intestine is damaged.—
Sarah Bence,
Health,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Less frequent side effects can include chest discomfort, weakness, headache, rhinitis, hypoglycemia and vitamin B12 deficiency (with long-term metformin use).—
Leslie Baumann,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
So the duo switches gears to discuss a murder instead, with Carolyn continuing to be a thorn in Dani’s side, ixnaying every name that’s brought up in the turret.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
20 Feb. 2025
-
In addition, cane wounds caused by the thorns on crossing canes allow fungal pathogens to enter the cane, which can open the plant up to cane disease.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Finally, Paddington graduates from nuisance to pathfinder, from struggling to fit in to forging his own identity.—
Natalia Winkelman,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2025
-
What is known is that the area of the attack had been frequently monitored by animal control authorities as a problematic zone where one or more dogs have been reported as being a nuisance or possible danger to the public, dating back to February 2023.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee,
Kansas City Star,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Trump was willing to give detente a shot but underwent a 180-degree turn after the first sign of frustration.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Many end users have voiced their frustration with the difficulty of opening the new packages and the risks associated with using sharp tools.—
Bill Schiffmiller,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
That’s all well and good, but this latest game was as good a sign as any that those worries might not age well.—
Sam Amick,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Another major worry for those who’ve been able to live in their homes is all the trash.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hair shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair%20shirt. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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