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
Others portrayed her as a harpy, a notoriously disagreeable mythical beast that was half bird-of-prey, half woman.
—
The Economist, 9 Nov. 2019
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
See All Example Sentences for harpy
The Economist, 9 Nov. 2019
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
See All Example Sentences for harpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpy
Noun
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For the study, researchers looked at 1,376 vertebrate species known to eat some amount of carrion, ranging from tiger sharks and spotted hyenas to cane toads and common shrews.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 June 2025
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The music hall performer Belle Elmore was dismissed by the press as a vulgar shrew.—
Jennifer Wright,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
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According to the team, this research indicates that ghost crabs are effective predators of the early life phase of sea turtles with a taste for meat.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
10 July 2025
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With their milkweed diet being a core tenet to how monarchs protect themselves from predators, other butterfly species have evolved to resemble monarchs’ coloring as a way to gain protection.—
Muqsit Ashraf,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Noun
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The creatures move confidently across the island's terrain, both vast and cramped, and often emerge with a vampire's stealth from shadows, smoke and night itself.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
30 June 2025
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Set in 1930s Mississippi, and loosely inspired by the director’s family’s real-life experiences in the Jim Crow South, the film is much more than your typical vampire story.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
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Intelligencer The Cut Vulture The Strategist Curbed Grub Street vulture games Telematrix No. 38: July 3, 2025 July 3, 2025 A new Telematrix drops every Monday and Thursday.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
3 July 2025
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No more circling like hungry vultures, hoping someone will finally abandon their po'boy.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpy. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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