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Glite Dictionary
hair-shirted

hair-shirted

9.9
Choosing to live very simply and give up comforts for moral or religious reasons
  • adjective
  • /ˈhɛrˌʃɜrtɪd/
  • Formal
: austero
  • The hair-shirted monk dedicated his life to helping the poor and living simply.

Examples

  • The hair-shirted young ascetic retains his elevated focus and steadfast rejection of the material world.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Saint John appears in the Magliabechiano frontispiece initial as a haloed, arid, hair-shirted young boy walking down a rocky path that forms the bank of a blue stream (Fig. 12).

    Academic text (2008)

  • Many hair-shirted individuals believe that self-denial brings them closer to spiritual enlightenment.

  • She adopted a hair-shirted lifestyle to demonstrate her commitment to humility and sacrifice.

Synonyms

austere
vshair-shirted
6 8.2

Living simply and avoiding comfort or luxury

is penitent and deliberately self-sacrificing rather than simply disciplined
renunciant
vshair-shirted
  • Formal
1 9.9

Giving up comfort and possessions for moral or religious reasons

is about a penitent, self-sacrificing lifestyle rather than only giving things up
hair-shirt
vshair-shirted
  • Formal
1 9.9

A person or attitude that gives up comfort more than needed for moral reasons

is deliberately self-sacrificing and penitent rather than merely excessive

Antonyms

self-indulgent
21 6.7

Giving yourself whatever you want, often by buying or eating too much

hedonistic
8 7.5

A way of living that seeks pleasure and chooses fun over other things

How Ascetic

ascetic
4 8.7
hair-shirted
  • Formal
9.9
austere
6 8.2
frugal
30 4.9
restrained
26 5.3

Surface Forms

hair-shirted positive

Morphology

hair-shirted = hairshirt (semi-transparent) = hair + shirt + ed

The form is clearly 'hair' + 'shirt' -> 'hairshirt' + '-ed', but the sense 'penitent/austere' is idiomatic and relies on knowledge of the cultural practice.

Etymology

Hair-shirted comes from hair-shirt, a rough shirt made of animal hair that people once wore to show 'penance' or to punish themselves. So calling someone hair-shirted means they choose a very strict, self-punishing way of life or policy.