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
In an area that used to produce influential Catholic churchmen the way the Dodgers churned out Rookies of the Year, Gomez has amounted to the living equivalent of a hair shirt: a mode of piety that serves no one but the wearer.
—
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
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
Erin Maglaque’s review of a new book on women and sound in Renaissance Italy peels back the layers of a less-talked about form of religious asceticism and control, one where there are no hair shirts or decade-long fasts, just… silence.
—Michelle Weber, Longreads, 15 Nov. 2024
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
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
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
Erin Maglaque’s review of a new book on women and sound in Renaissance Italy peels back the layers of a less-talked about form of religious asceticism and control, one where there are no hair shirts or decade-long fasts, just… silence.
—Michelle Weber, Longreads, 15 Nov. 2024
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hair shirt
Noun
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Its stern warnings are scary and uncomfortable--the headaches, indigestion, muscle spasms, body aches, clenched teeth or knots in your chest.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
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More severe cases of salmonellosis may include a high fever, aches, headaches, lethargy, a rash, blood in the urine or stool, and in some cases may become fatal.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
Noun
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The early part of the season indicated Arizona would indeed be a thorn in the side of the Dodgers and one of the best teams in the NL.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
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The law has been a thorn in the side of the Trump administration’s campaign to ramp up deportations, which the president has cast as an effort to rid the country of criminals despite also targeting immigrants with no prior convictions.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2025
Noun
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The velocity of misinformation isn’t just a nuisance.—
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Eating flaxseed might even ease menopausal symptoms, which—among its many other nuisances—can often include GI issues.—
Christina Pérez,
Vogue,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Postgame, their manager’s frustration was palpable.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
4 June 2025
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Moments before allegedly opening fire, Zhao vented his frustrations at a supervisor and a co-worker whom Zhao blamed for a collision between his forklift and a bulldozer, prosecutors claim.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Because of the outsize anticipation, initial reports of delays and extensive rewrites on Season 2 created worries that the series’ intricate narrative puzzle might implode.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
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There happens to be one available that would help ease any worry about Bosa's injury issues throughout the year.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hair shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair%20shirt. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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