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shrift

American  
[shrift] / ʃrɪft /

noun

Archaic.

  1. the imposition of penance by a priest on a penitent after confession.

  2. absolution or remission of sins granted after confession and penance.

  3. confession to a priest.

shrift British  
/ ʃrɪft /

noun

  1. archaic the act or an instance of shriving or being shriven See also short shrift

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
shrift Idioms  

  1. see short shrift.

Etymology

Origin of shrift

before 900; Middle English; Old English scrift penance; cognate with German, Dutch schrift writing; shrive, -th 1

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.

Mr. Brown gives short shrift to Roosevelt’s unparalleled record on the conservation of public land.

From The Wall Street Journal

Known for not suffering fools gladly while on air and giving some callers short shrift, he was once satirised in Private Eye.

From BBC

Early surveys of opinion after the Budget give Reeves's plans short shrift.

From BBC

The EU were given short shrift by major producers.

From BBC

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

From Salon

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.