short shrift
Americannoun
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little attention or consideration in dealing with a person or matter.
She'll give short shrift to such a weak argument.
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a brief time for confession or absolution given to a condemned prisoner before their execution.
noun
-
brief and unsympathetic treatment
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(formerly) a brief period allowed to a condemned prisoner to make confession
-
to dispose of quickly and unsympathetically
Etymology
Origin of short shrift
First recorded in 1585–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Like most of the band’s biographers, Spitz gives short shrift to the post-“Exile” period after 1972.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
Executives hoping for a sympathetic hearing for underwhelming numbers this earnings season are likely to receive short shrift and might have to brace for a stock tumble.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
Instead of the typical rock-star tale that relives the glory days and gives short shrift to the rest, the former Black Sabbath frontman chose to lay bare his recent medical struggles in grisly detail.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
On Newcastle's Metro Radio from 1973-80, he set the template for phone-ins that gave callers short shrift.
From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025
At the time, however, my report was given short shrift because of another related report with greater ramifications.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
