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
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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
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Recent Examples of harpies
Think a front desk hewn from Dionysos marble and sconces in the shape of harpies.
—
Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2025
Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpies
Noun
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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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These arrests serve as a stark reminder of the dangers that social media can pose, and of the predators who hide behind social media applications, looking to exploit our youth and sell their fentanyl pills through digital connections.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
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Forced to navigate this harrowing labyrinth of false saviors and predators, Ash’s struggle becomes not only about survival, but about reclaiming her voice and breaking free from cycles of harm that threaten to consume her completely.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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On the previous episode, the stars danced spooky routines as ghosts, zombies, vampires and more for Halloween Night.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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Bound to the service of the Hellsing Organization, Alucard fights against fellow vampires, a crusading faction of the Vatican called the Iscariot Organization, and wannabe Nazis alongside his allies Seres Victoria and Integra Hellsing.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That could be way too reactionary and dramatic, but the vultures and sharks in this league are headed there with this situation.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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In total, the Ventana Wildlife Society — a group that traps, breeds and rehabilitates the vultures for release into the wild — has tracked 30 different condors that took multiple trips to parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties sometime in the past two years.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harpies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpies. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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