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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According to the Lincoln Park Zoo, northern tree shrews are most closely related to primates and have no relation to actual shrews other than a coincidental resemblance to them.—
Rhiannon Saegert,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2025
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Here’s looking at shrew: How college students got first-ever photos of an elusive California mammal.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The Cayman Islands, 633 miles southwest of the Turks and Caicos, issued a warning in November that feeding sharks in the region taught the predators to associate divers with food.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2025
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After Shark Attack on Bahamas Vacation, the Victims, 1 with 'Shredded' Foot, Speak Out In the actual video, Wells also apologized for his expletive-laden reaction while still attempting to evade the predator.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
19 Feb. 2025
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When Thomas is dispatched to Transylvania to help Orlok with a real estate transaction, a chain of events is set in motion to help the vampire pursue his horrifying union with Ellen.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Intelligencer The Cut Vulture The Strategist Curbed Grub Street vulture games 5:00 A.M.—
Britina Cheng,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2025
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Black vultures also are more aggressive than turkey vultures.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to harpy
Cite this Entry
“Harpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpy. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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