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Glite Dictionary
to tear one's hair out

to tear one's hair out

1 7.7
To feel very frustrated and worried because of a problem
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : desesperarse
  • I've been tearing my hair out over my career.

Examples

  • I'd be tearing my hair out too if I had something like that outside.

    Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

  • -Sometimes he makes me want to tear my hair out.

    The Cat in the Hat (2003)

  • Donna must be tearing her hair out, doing this wedding on her own.

    Mamma Mia! (2008)

  • You sit down for your first cup of coffee in the morning, you tear your hair out when you read the paper because the world is run by people not half as smart as you are.

    Waking the Dead (2000)

  • The boys were climbing up the walls, tearing their hair out, and... because it was impossible.

    The Current War (2018)

  • Your father's so worried he's tearing his hair out!

    High Spirits (1988)

  • The first pitch has yet to be thrown and already Leonard Huff is tearing his hair out.

    Major League: Back to the Minors (1998)

  • It keeps away the feeling of stir craziness in the winter when I just feel like I might like to tear my hair out and run outside screaming.

    Antarctica: A Year on Ice (2013)

  • Donna must be tearing her hair out while planning this wedding on her own.

  • I'd be tearing my hair out too if I had to manage that situation outside.

Synonyms

to wig out
vsto tear one's hair out
  • Informal
11 9.2

React with strong fear or excitement and lose control

centres on frustrated anxiety specifically not varied strong emotions
to tear hair out
vsto tear one's hair out
  • Informal
1 8.5

To feel very frustrated because you cannot fix a problem

is identical in meaning but uses a possessive phrasing
to throw a wobbly
vsto tear one's hair out
  • UK
9.9

To become suddenly very angry and upset in a dramatic way

is about prolonged frustration and anxious helplessness rather than sudden anger
to flip one's wig
vsto tear one's hair out
  • Informal
9.9

To suddenly become very angry and lose control of yourself

is more about frustration and anxious distress than quick anger
to drop one's bundle
vsto tear one's hair out
  • UK
9.9

To suddenly lose control of your feelings because you feel overwhelmed

focuses on frustration and anxious worry rather than total collapse

Antonyms

to calm
962 1.0

Make a person or animal less upset

collectedness
6.5

A calm and steady way of behaving in difficult situations

How Frustrated

to tear one's hair out
  • Informal
1 7.7
frustrated
280 2.8
upset
∞ 1.0
annoyed
77 1.0

Surface Forms

tear one's hair out infinitive
tearing one's hair out present participle
tears one's hair out third person singular
tore one's hair out past
torn one's hair out past participle

Morphology

tear + one's + hair + out

The literal words ('tear' + 'hair' + 'out') produce a vivid image of ripping out one’s hair, which plausibly maps onto intense distress or frustration and thus gives learners a partial clue to the idiomatic meaning. However, the shift from a possible literal action to a conventionalized emotional state is idiomatic enough that a B1 learner who has not seen the phrase before may not fully derive the exact sense, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Tear one's hair out comes from the clear image of someone actually pulling at or tearing out their hair when they feel very angry or worried. So the phrase means 'to feel or show extreme frustration or anxiety'.