1
as in shrew
a bad-tempered scolding woman
in fairy tales stepmothers are often portrayed as harpies who make the lives of their stepchildren miserable
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2
as in predator
a person who habitually preys upon others
having just started to make it really big in the music business, he found himself surrounded by a flock of harpies greedy for a piece of the action
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Recent Examples of harpy
The clergy and royal courts in days of yore used images of griffins, hellmouths, harpies, dragons and sea swine to instill fear, to divide anxious populations, to assert dominance and control, and to ostracize non-Europeans.
—
Steven Litt, cleveland.com, 1 Sep. 2019
Elizabeth Moss, as Claire, has based her career playing sad-sacks and harpies, in Mad Men, The Square, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Her Smell; so Moss is a comic actress by default.
—Armond White, National Review, 9 Aug. 2019
There are fairies and nymphs, unicorns, harpies, giants, ogres, trolls, Gollums and dragons.
—Patti Restivo, baltimoresun.com, 14 June 2019
But maybe these women aren’t evil vixens or cold-hearted harpies.
—Andrea Bartz, Marie Claire, 25 Feb. 2019
See all Example Sentences for harpy 
Steven Litt, cleveland.com, 1 Sep. 2019
Elizabeth Moss, as Claire, has based her career playing sad-sacks and harpies, in Mad Men, The Square, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Her Smell; so Moss is a comic actress by default.
—Armond White, National Review, 9 Aug. 2019
There are fairies and nymphs, unicorns, harpies, giants, ogres, trolls, Gollums and dragons.
—Patti Restivo, baltimoresun.com, 14 June 2019
But maybe these women aren’t evil vixens or cold-hearted harpies.
—Andrea Bartz, Marie Claire, 25 Feb. 2019
See all Example Sentences for harpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpy
Noun
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Its other name, the four-toed elephant shrew, refers to its trunk-like snout.—
Carlyn Kranking,
Smithsonian Magazine,
10 Jan. 2025
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There have been a few seasons of the show in which men (see: season five Cole) are portrayed as innocent but good-hearted idiots and women as harsh shrews.—
Alex Abad-Santos,
Vox,
31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Keep your property well-lit, as lights act as an easy deterrent to predators.—
Raul A. Reyes,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
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In the latest days of the Triassic, early dinosaurs lived alongside giant amphibians, gharial-like phytosaurs and an array of crocodile relatives that took forms ranging from armadillo-like to apex predators.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Count Von Count Count Von Count is a friendly vampire who enjoys counting anything and everything in sight, from bats to sheep.—
Casey Clark,
Parents,
16 Jan. 2025
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The date was January 11, 1972, and Darren McGavin debuted as Carl Kolchak, an investigative reporter who, in this instance, suspected that a serial killer in the Las Vegas area was actually a vampire.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes,
11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Long ago, the vulture was believed to signal impending doom.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Jan. 2025
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The smoke had very literally not yet cleared, but the vultures were already swooping.—
Emily Witt,
The New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Harpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpy. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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