HARPIES Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

harpies

noun

plural of harpy

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

Relevance

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

prey

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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpies

Noun

These are important tools used for both feeding and building their dens and digging for other menu items such as mice, gophers, voles and shrews.

— Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026
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

Definition of shrews

Noun

Part of what makes 764 and other Nihilistic Violent Extremist groups so terrifying is that in addition to grooming minor victims, members also intentionally recruit and radicalize juveniles to become predators themselves, according to the FBI.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Causes of osprey nesting failures There are various factors contributing to osprey breeding failure, including storms, predators, human disturbance and heat stress, each of which can vary from year to year.

— Michelle Richardson, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of predators

Noun

The original seven-season series followed Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, a young woman who slays vampires, demons and other supernatural creatures with the help of her friends.

— Isabelle Farina, Variety, 13 Sep. 2026
At times, Company almost plays like Train Dreams with vampires, dreamy and sad and laden with voiceover.

— Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of vampires

Noun

Families can learn about slugs, spiders, vultures and more during Creepy Critters Month at the Knoch Knolls Nature Center, 320 Knoch Knolls Road, a park district news release said.

— Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
In March a whale corpse was found floating in San Francisco Bay, seagulls perched on top like vultures at carrion.

— Ainslie Cruickshank, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026