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
Relevance
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
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
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
-
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
-
During the day, the birds lie motionless on the ground, blending into piles of leaves and tree stumps to hide from predators.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Those vulnerabilities allow predators an opportunity to gain the trust of victims of any age by promising to meet those needs or to provide safety, housing or affection.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Their opening night gets interrupted when blood thirsty vampires are lured in by the musical talents of Sammie (Miles Caton), a young blues musician.—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
-
What draws the vampires to the juke joint?—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Dozens of vultures died of bird flu in Amelia.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Dec. 2025
-
Black vultures circled overhead.—
Kendall Hunter,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harpies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpies. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share