1
as in shrews
a bad-tempered scolding woman
in fairy tales stepmothers are often portrayed as harpies who make the lives of their stepchildren miserable
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in predators
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of harpies
And because harpies rely on large emergent trees for nesting and an extensive, continuous canopy for hunting, even partial deforestation will severely disrupt their ability to breed and forage.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
In the right-wing imagination, these women are acting like harpies — an epithet often seen online — when they’re supposed to be helpmeets.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
Think a front desk hewn from Dionysos marble and sconces in the shape of harpies.
—Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2025
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
In the right-wing imagination, these women are acting like harpies — an epithet often seen online — when they’re supposed to be helpmeets.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
Think a front desk hewn from Dionysos marble and sconces in the shape of harpies.
—Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpies
Noun
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The tiny bodies of weasels, shrews and bats burn energy so fast that skipping even one meal can mean starvation.—
Leonie Baier,
The Conversation,
27 Feb. 2026
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In animal studies, TDN helped obese mice and musk shrews lose weight and become more responsive to insulin.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Because of their large size, adult Burmese pythons don't have many predators, with humans being the exception.—
Morgan Rynor,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
Outdoors, organisms, such as predators and fungi regulate populations.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
Noun
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However, when stars have a binary partner, white dwarfs can spring back to life like cosmic vampires by stripping material off these companion stars.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 May 2026
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Pajak’s Sam must drive home the lesson that the real vampires are those creatures who try to steal your true soul — your individuality.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
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While riding the property, Rip spots vultures circling overhead and goes to investigate, only to discover Wes' remains.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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In that campaign, he was joined by Aron Ralston, the mountaineer who had to amputate part of his right arm to survive a climbing accident, and others who were bitten by rattlesnakes and hunted by hungry vultures.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harpies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpies. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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