Definition of "shrift" [shrift]

• Archaic The act of shriving. (noun)
• Archaic Confession to a priest. (noun)
• Archaic Absolution given by a priest. See Note at short shrift. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But in short shrift, that may not matter any longer."
• "In a way, this weirdly understates the severity of institutional racism in the United States, since it implies that there were all these qualified minority jurists who were getting short shrift from the Oval Office."
• "Barberio (Moncton) and Southorn (Prince Edward Island) are a pair of Quebec Leaguers who play for clubs out in the Maritimes and get short shrift from the scouting community at large."