shrift
Americannoun
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the imposition of penance by a priest on a penitent after confession.
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absolution or remission of sins granted after confession and penance.
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confession to a priest.
noun
Etymology
Origin of shrift
before 900; Middle English; Old English scrift penance; cognate with German, Dutch schrift writing; see shrive, -th 1
Explanation
Use the noun shrift to describe the act of confessing, especially to a priest. Shrift is an old-fashioned way to talk about the traditional religious ritual of confession and absolution. Shrift comes from the equally antique word shrive, which is what a priest does when he hears a confession. The phrase "short shrift" began as a description of the brief chance a condemned prisoner had to confess his sins before being put to death, and evolved to mean "to dismiss with little consideration."
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.
In Europe, you will get short shrift if you ask the barista for a nonfat, no-foam, vanilla-flavored double-shot latte.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 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
The result was “a sea change in the economics of the malpractice plaintiffs’ bar,” Rand found, with cases where the judgment cap would cut too deeply into attorney fees getting short shrift.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026
Known for not suffering fools gladly while on air and giving some callers short shrift, he was once satirised in Private Eye.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025
Overtures by anyone friendly to these groups—or, God forbid, members of one of them—received short shrift in the poor white sections of Durham.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
