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
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
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
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
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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The godfather-like arctic shrew Mr. Big is back, as is Flash, the sloth, both ready to help at just the right moment.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
25 Nov. 2025
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Especially early on in the campaign, when I was being attacked as being angry, a shrew, demeaning my husband — all these labels were coming in on me that were essentially trying to rob me of that femininity.—
Janine Rubenstein,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Those vulnerabilities allow predators an opportunity to gain the trust of victims of any age by promising to meet those needs or to provide safety, housing or affection.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
8 Jan. 2026
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Experts say there is no clear pattern behind recent shark encounters, emphasizing that the ocean is a dynamic environment where humans enter the natural habitat of marine predators.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Slavic folklore about vampires suggests one partial answer to the especial fear of the vulnerable.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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Mosaku captivated audiences as Annie, a powerful healer and spiritual guide who helps fight off bloodthirsty vampires in Sinners.—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Dozens of dead vultures found in Amelia likely have bird flu, officials said.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Dec. 2025
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The location is a culture vulture’s dream — situated just yards from the San Jose Museum of Art and events at the Circle of Palms and Cesar Chavez Plaza.—
Linda Zavoral,
Mercury News,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpy. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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