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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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
-
After hatching, the immature cicadas or nymphs spend 17 or 13 years underground, feeding on roots, then emerge during the spring and transform into adult cicadas.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
22 June 2025
-
Inspectors observed insect droppings and nymphs on the floor of the kitchen.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 June 2025
Noun
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On the road, Pearce has seen entire families come dressed in matching mermaid outfits and others in tutus.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
13 June 2025
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Hough’s pristine ivory look featured a tulle mermaid skirt reminiscent of the kind worn by Marilyn Monroe, Diana Dors and Vera Ellen in the 1940s and ‘50s.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dryad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dryad. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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