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
-
The parasites' arrival in the central nervous system is often marked by a headache.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
13 Feb. 2025
-
But the unusual dismissal order comes with strings attached that could cause continued legal headaches for Adams and put pressure on him to do more to help Trump’s administration with immigration enforcement, experts, including former federal prosecutors and judges, told the Daily News on Tuesday.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Navalny was a thorn in Putin’s side, exposing corruption in high places and orchestrating some of the biggest anti-government protests seen in recent years.—
Anna Cooban,
CNN,
16 Feb. 2025
-
The lesser prairie chicken, which was listed in 2023, is similarly a thorn in the side of many Republicans lawmakers.—
Benji Jones,
Vox,
10 Feb. 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
-
The meeting created a lot of anxiety and frustration in the Ukrainian government, which is concerned about a U.S.-Russian deal behind Kyiv's back.—
Barak Ravid,
Axios,
16 Feb. 2025
-
But as Dougherty Valley continued to miss shots, the frustration started to show.—
Nathan Canilao,
The Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Eventually, optimism and relief won over fears and worries, rallying stocks.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Democrats have criticized the group’s reach, expressing worry that Musk has too much control over governmental operations.—
Ross O'Keefe,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
12 Feb. 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 22 Feb. 2025.
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