hair shirt

noun

Synonyms of hair shirtnext
1
: a shirt made of rough animal hair worn next to the skin as a penance
2
: one that irritates like a hair shirt

Synonyms

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Examples of hair shirt in a Sentence

the constant need to cut costs was a hair shirt, but one that the theater company had to live with
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hair shirt was in the 14th century

Rhymes for hair shirt

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Browse Nearby Words

hairsheep
hair shirt
hair sieve
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Cite this Entry

“Hair shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hair%20shirt. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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