Short Shrift

Pronunciation: /ʃɔrt ʃrɪft/

Definitions of short shrift

noun a brief or cursory treatment or attention

Example Sentences

A1 I don't like to give short shrift to anyone's feelings.

A2 The teacher gave short shrift to the student's excuse for not doing their homework.

B1 The boss always gives short shrift to new ideas from junior employees.

B2 The committee gave short shrift to the proposal, dismissing it without much consideration.

C1 The judge gave short shrift to the defendant's plea for leniency.

C2 The CEO gave short shrift to the concerns raised by the shareholders, focusing instead on profits.

Examples of short shrift in a Sentence

formal The judge gave the defendant short shrift during the trial.

informal I asked for more time to finish my project, but my boss gave me short shrift.

slang My friends always give my ideas short shrift, they never take them seriously.

figurative The new policy was given short shrift by the employees, who felt it was unfair.

Grammatical Forms of short shrift

• past tense: short shrifted
• plural: short shrifts
• comparative: shorter shrift
• superlative: shortest shrift
• present tense: gives short shrift
• future tense: will give short shrift
• perfect tense: has given short shrift
• continuous tense: is giving short shrift
• singular: short shrift
• positive degree: shorter shrift
• infinitive: to give short shrift
• gerund: giving short shrift
• participle: given short shrift

Origin and Evolution of short shrift

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Middle English

Story behind the word: The phrase 'short shrift' originated in medieval times when a person sentenced to death would receive a brief period of time for confession and absolution before execution.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the phrase 'short shrift' has evolved to mean giving little or no attention to something, often implying a lack of consideration or mercy.