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
-
This is just the wrong place for trash fees to be charged and is pretty much guaranteed to create massive headaches for homeowners.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 June 2025
-
Bringing a pet to the vet's office for an appointment can often cause owners headaches, but one woman's chaotic experience left the internet in stitches.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 June 2025
Noun
-
The Houthis, who are a part of Iran’s proxy network and who the regime supplies with weapons and intelligence, have been a thorn in Israel’s side since disrupting commercial shipping in the Red Sea at the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2025
-
But his days as one of five aldermen who said no to Daley’s infamous parking meter deal or a quixotic early thorn to Mayor Rahm Emanuel are long gone.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
The velocity of misinformation isn’t just a nuisance.—
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
-
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
-
His populist messaging and anti-establishment persona align with many voters’ frustrations with Washington, the Federal Reserve, and legacy media.—
Becca Bratcher,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
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As the pressure from the field grew, Burns showed signs of frustration.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
15 June 2025
Noun
-
Those worries vanished when she was accepted to Yale University.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
-
Fear of falling behind That worry of falling behind is something many men are wrestling with, according to a recent report by the Speaking with American Men (SAM) project, a new effort aimed at helping Democrats better reach and connect with young men.—
Elena Moore,
NPR,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hair shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair%20shirt. Accessed 21 Jun. 2025.
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