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
-
Severe infections may include aches, headaches, elevated fever, lethargy, rashes, and blood in the urine or stool.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA TODAY,
4 Feb. 2025
-
Side effects reported with valerian include headache, dizziness, skin rash, and nausea.—
Kirstyn Hill, PharmD, MPH,
Health,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Bournemouth were on an 11-game unbeaten streak, rightfully lauded for their disruptive, physically intense style of play that has been the thorn in many sides this season.—
Mark Carey,
The Athletic,
3 Feb. 2025
-
There’s Cactus, which got thorns stuck in its body; Sugar Baby, whose wings were destroyed from being drenched in sugar water; Jimmy, who fell out of a tree after its mother died; and Larry Bird, suffering from a back injury.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The site’s structure is a nuisance for anyone invested in controlling how information is disseminated.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2025
-
Kurt's key takeaways Robocalls can be a real nuisance, especially for flip phone users.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Admitting this truth is the first step to lessening your frustration.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
3 Feb. 2025
-
Coffman expressed frustration that Johnston wasn’t being forthcoming about how many migrants were being placed — and where — by nonprofit organizations Denver works with.—
Max Levy,
The Denver Post,
2 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Last year, despite worries about overcapacity, Congress approved an expansion to Reagan airport, adding five more long-haul daily flights.—
Joann Muller,
Axios,
31 Jan. 2025
-
That bump defrayed worries over declining iPhone sales, which not only missed LSEG estimates by the largest margin in two years but were also lower compared with a year earlier because of weakness in the Greater China market.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
31 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near hair shirt
Cite this Entry
“Hair shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair%20shirt. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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