short shrift

noun

1. little attention or consideration in dealing with a person or matter.

   She'll give short shrift to such a weak argument.

2. a brief time for confession or absolution given to a condemned prisoner before their execution.

short shrift

noun

1. brief and unsympathetic treatment

2. (formerly) a brief period allowed to a condemned prisoner to make confession

3. to dispose of quickly and unsympathetically

Word History and Origins

Origin of short shrift¹

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

The EU were given short shrift by major producers.

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Smith’s activist career gets fairly short shrift in the movie, although it’s an important facet of her recent life.

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While Putin has condemned Soviet-era crimes, authorities typically downplay them and the victims of repression are often given short shrift in history textbooks.

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Such questions get distinctly short shrift in the dominant political narratives.

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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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal