as in nymph
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
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Recent Examples of dryad
In 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dryad
Noun
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Inspectors spotted two live German cockroach nymphs at a storage cabinet above a two-compartment sink and a live adult roach on the floor near the ice machine.—
Sarah Linn,
Sacbee.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Wandering among the half naked nymphs and leering wolves and buff mermen poking their lovely wet heads out of glassy forest pools, their eyes dark with wanting to drag her down to oblivion.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As for her glam, Strogoff wore her bright blonde hair in loose mermaid waves and darkened her eyebrows to a near black for a bold contrast.—
Starr Bowenbank,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
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This hotel, which appeals to budget-conscious travelers with its free aquarium and mermaid show, offers free self-parking and valet parking.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dryad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dryad. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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