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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While native mammals span from the endemic Cretan lesser white-toothed shrew to the Blasius’s horseshoe bat, the preserve is perhaps best known for its high concentration of Cretan goats, a type of ruminant that serves as the official mascot of the park.—
Jared Ranahan,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
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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
Noun
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Attracting Beneficial Insects Nature supplies its own form of pest control through predators and parasitoids.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
5 Apr. 2025
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These ants, known for their ability to detonate their own bodies, release a toxic secretion to neutralize the threat of invading predators.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The vampires are presented as extensions of the racist white culture that wants to stop the party.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2025
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The Republican panelist, 53, dramatically swooned into the back of her chair after Jordan, 38, chose to lean forward and give her his best vampiric growl while discussing the Prohibition-era vampire horror film on Monday.—
Emlyn Travis,
EW.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Email Tags: vulture cinematrix cinematrix games vulture games cinematrix archive More Leave a Comment Latest News from Vulture tributes 6:47 p.m.—
Britina Cheng,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2025
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Avoiding those problems, Feinberg carved out a niche as a distressed investor, less politely referred to as a vulture, who knew how to find meat on the bones of decaying businesses.—
Dan Alexander,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpy. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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