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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Example Sentences

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 dryad 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 Merlin and Cosmo are both in their 30s, with dark curly hair and similarly rangy builds, though Merlin’s face is more delicate, as though a distant ancestor might have been part elf or dryad. Jennifer Kahn, New York Times, 8 June 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 The taste is close to water, only water as if just rained down and sipped from a blossom, with a delicate, attenuated sweetness: what a dryad might live on. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2018 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
  • The company offers a few tips: Add them to compost: Dead cicadas and nymph shells can be composted.
    Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
  • It’s based on measurements of tick nymphs and full grown ticks in sample areas.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • Those visuals included a mother wolf and her cubs, a mermaid floating underwater and CGI-Shakira crying a teardrop that turned into a shower of diamonds.
    Olivia Petty, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 June 2025
  • The Poseidon and Amphitrite statue pays homage to the mythological guardians of the sea and preside over structures engineered for coral regrowth, while the interactive mermaid tail and diver selfie sculptures encourages visitors to literally see themselves as stewards of the ocean.
    Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dryad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dryad. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

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