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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harpy
Others portrayed her as a harpy, a notoriously disagreeable mythical beast that was half bird-of-prey, half woman.
—
The Economist, 9 Nov. 2019
The clergy and royal courts in days of yore used images of griffins, hellmouths, harpies, dragons and sea swine to instill fear, to divide anxious populations, to assert dominance and control, and to ostracize non-Europeans.
—Steven Litt, cleveland.com, 1 Sep. 2019
Elizabeth Moss, as Claire, has based her career playing sad-sacks and harpies, in Mad Men, The Square, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Her Smell; so Moss is a comic actress by default.
—Armond White, National Review, 9 Aug. 2019
There are fairies and nymphs, unicorns, harpies, giants, ogres, trolls, Gollums and dragons.
—Patti Restivo, baltimoresun.com, 14 June 2019
See All Example Sentences for harpy
The Economist, 9 Nov. 2019
The clergy and royal courts in days of yore used images of griffins, hellmouths, harpies, dragons and sea swine to instill fear, to divide anxious populations, to assert dominance and control, and to ostracize non-Europeans.
—Steven Litt, cleveland.com, 1 Sep. 2019
Elizabeth Moss, as Claire, has based her career playing sad-sacks and harpies, in Mad Men, The Square, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Her Smell; so Moss is a comic actress by default.
—Armond White, National Review, 9 Aug. 2019
There are fairies and nymphs, unicorns, harpies, giants, ogres, trolls, Gollums and dragons.
—Patti Restivo, baltimoresun.com, 14 June 2019
See All Example Sentences for harpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpy
Noun
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The researchers went through hundreds of rodent and shrew carcasses to look for mpox infections and found one: the carcass of a squirrel that had died less than three months before the outbreak started.—
Lillian Ali,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
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While native mammals span from the endemic Cretan lesser white-toothed shrew to the Blasius’s horseshoe bat, the preserve is perhaps best known for its high concentration of Cretan goats, a type of ruminant that serves as the official mascot of the park.—
Jared Ranahan,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In the skies surrounding Mount Moco, a predator scours the ground for its next meal.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2025
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But predators feasting on the world’s most vulnerable people doesn’t really make for an entertaining movie.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The third movie also introduces many more monsters to the town of Seabrook, including vampires and merfolk.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
22 Apr. 2025
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Warners also notably set the vampires of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners on the loose in 71 international markets this weekend, alongside domestic.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Intelligencer The Cut Vulture The Strategist Curbed Grub Street vulture games Apr. 27, 2025 A new Cinematrix drops every morning.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2025
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Barring a dramatic comeback, vultures figure to soon begin circling over Milwaukee as long-term questions about Antetokounmpo's future come back into focus.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpy. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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