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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

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpy
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
  • When the moment comes, however, Raphinha is a predator.
    Beren Cross, New York Times, 8 May 2025
  • With a Hall of Fame-caliber resume, the apex predator appears coiled and ready to strike at his next challenger, John Cena, this Saturday (May 10), at Backlash in Orton’s hometown of St. Louis.
    Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 7 May 2025
Noun
  • In Coogler’s cinematic and musical world of vampire horror, the Chinese characters are deeply integrated into the Delta’s Black community, dancing alongside Black partygoers.
    Erika Hayasaki, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2025
  • The Wicked actress will star as the titular vampire, as well as the 22 other roles, in an adaptation of Dracula set to debut in London’s West End in February 2026, per Deadline.
    Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 13 May 2025
Noun
  • The study’s authors stress that vulture research and conservation need to continue to keep ecosystems safe from disease, especially since vultures in the Americas are starting to look more vulnerable than ever.
    Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2025
  • Intelligencer The Cut Vulture The Strategist Curbed Grub Street vulture games May 2, 2025 A new Cinematrix drops every morning.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Harpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpy. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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