Synonyms of harpies

harpies

noun

plural of harpy

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

• shrews
• furies
• harridans
• termagants
• battle-axes
• vixens
• dragon ladies
• viragoes
• critics
• gorgons
• carpers
• scolds
• nitpickers
• faultfinders
• railers
• detractors
• cavilers
• censurers
• quibblers
• deriders
• belittlers
• fishwifes
• castigators
• pettifoggers

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

• predators
• vampires
• vultures
• sharks
• wolves
• buzzards
• users
• kites
• bloodsuckers
• exploiters
• leeches
• sponges
• destroyers
• spongers
• devourers

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prey

Example Sentences

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