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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Example Sentences
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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
Those kinds of sentiments have multiplied on social media, which has exploded with memes in recent days calling the four everything from terrorists to harpies to cancer.
—Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 27 July 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
Those kinds of sentiments have multiplied on social media, which has exploded with memes in recent days calling the four everything from terrorists to harpies to cancer.
—Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 27 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for harpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpy
Noun
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The 2025 list of extinctions includes a bird, a shrew and a species of snail, among others.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
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The shrew is one of these mammals, according to the study.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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When threatened, gopher snakes often flatten their heads and hiss loudly, mimicking rattlesnakes to deter predators.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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In May, a rare predator undertook an incredible journey to try and help save his species.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This is the essence of the palpable belief in the vampire.—
Robert Eggers,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
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But when the sun sets and opening night kicks off, vampires show up and cause havoc.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The vultures' dwellings also held ropes, horse tack and thousands of bone fragments and eggshells.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, the Young Bird Photographer of the Year prize was awarded to 16-year-old Tomasz Michalski from Poland, for his striking silhouette of a black vulture.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpy. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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