1
as in shrew
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 predator
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 harpy
This is her name for the seventh circle of hell from Dante’s Inferno, where the souls of those who’ve committed suicide become trees, and harpies peck at them for all eternity.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2023
Karen is, of course, the generic name for the ubiquitous American harpy who, through the long summer of 2020, pitched fits about masks and sometimes about race, in public spaces.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 18 Aug. 2020
Others portrayed her as a harpy, a notoriously disagreeable mythical beast that was half bird-of-prey, half woman.
—The Economist, 9 Nov. 2019
Those kinds of sentiments have multiplied on social media, which has exploded with memes in recent days calling the four everything from terrorists to harpies to cancer.
—Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 27 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for harpy
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2023
Karen is, of course, the generic name for the ubiquitous American harpy who, through the long summer of 2020, pitched fits about masks and sometimes about race, in public spaces.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 18 Aug. 2020
Others portrayed her as a harpy, a notoriously disagreeable mythical beast that was half bird-of-prey, half woman.
—The Economist, 9 Nov. 2019
Those kinds of sentiments have multiplied on social media, which has exploded with memes in recent days calling the four everything from terrorists to harpies to cancer.
—Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 27 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for harpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpy
Noun
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Because for the most part, Caroline comes off as a rigid uptight shrew.—
Lisa DePaulo,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
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Johnson recommends installing an owl box or letting a section of your yard grow naturally as a meadow to attract these helpful predators.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
7 Mar. 2026
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Often their ends are brought on by predators, lack of food, or infection.—
Mallory Locklear,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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While setting up a juke joint with the help of their musically gifted cousin Sammie (played by Miles Caton in his film debut), a trio of vampires takes over the celebration.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
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Mort’s definitely gotten the short end of the hybrid human-vampire stick, with an unimpressive ability to read the family dog’s mind.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Others shot the bald vultures, whose wings can span 9½ feet and who can live more than 50 years.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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Becky is dehydrated and delirious, but manages to nourish herself after strangling and eating a vulture that attacked her on the platform.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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