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

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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

Each new home takes space once inhabited by bears, leaving the predators scrambling to adjust.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2026
The National Park Service warns that the predators remain active in the fall, even after seasonal lifeguard coverage ends at National Seashore beaches.

— Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of predators

Noun

The teen drama, based on the 1992 movie of the same name, was about the title character battling vampires and other baddies plus high school at the same time.

— Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2026
And making the eyes of the vampires glow red was no easy feat.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026