a mythical goddess represented as a young girl and said to live outdoors
dryads were said to live within trees, their lives ending when the life of the tree ended
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dryadIn Ovid’s version of the story, after cutting down a sacred oak, Erysichthon is cursed with insatiable hunger by the dryad nymph who inhabited it.—Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025 Having regained his health, Geralt heads off with Jaskier and the dryad Milva to find Ciri, following a little skirmish with some power-mad guards.—Nick Romano, EW.com, 27 July 2023 Breaking off a piece of the mushroom, Sheldrake pointed out its pores and scaly top, then tentatively identified it as dryad saddle.—Jennifer Kahn, New York Times, 8 June 2023 Players will start out controlling a centaur with a whip as their dungeon manager, but eventually a dryad enchantress and monkey engineer can also be unlocked, with each master necessitating various styles of gameplay.—Jason Bennett, Arkansas Online, 24 May 2021 Isaac, the dryad Lena Greenwood, and the fire-spider Smudge lead the efforts to uncover the mystery.—John Booth, WIRED, 7 Aug. 2012
Sacramento County health inspectors closed four restaurants this week, including Carmichael’s Royal Cuisine, where a live nymph cockroach was found crawling on the salt and pepper shakers.
—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
16 May 2026
August is when the season begins to ebb, with fewer nymphs around and eggs hatching larvae that are largely free of diseases.
But the setting isn’t, say, a fairy tale village or a mermaid kingdom under the sea, to point at two Disney classics the film gives winking reference to.
—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
Mermaid dives require a separate ticket, while the mermaid meeting is included in admission.
—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026