as in shrew
a bad-tempered scolding woman
the film portrays the figure skater's mother as a strict and controlling harridan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 harridan
As written, and as played quite winningly by Siff, Silverman’s Tekla is neither a kitten nor a harridan.
—
Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 May 2025
And Day, with a face of expressive misery and the energy of an imploding firecracker, portrays her as a shrewd fusion of harridan and victim.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024
The subtext throughout is that Tendler is a harridan, a domineering scold.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2024
He was still steeled, still prepared for some harridan.
—Graham Swift, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2024
Richard Millet became a kind of referendum on what wasn’t yet termed cancel culture, with Ernaux denounced as a harridan intent on enforcing politically correct censorship at the expense of a man’s career.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2022
Throughout her tenure as House speaker, Pelosi has been painted by Trump supporters as an unhinged harridan: crazy, conniving and hungry for power.
—Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2022
Allen’s account paints Mia Farrow as an abusive, baby-crazed harridan who beat and brainwashed her many children.
—Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2020
Still, for a generation brought up to smile in the face of almost any affront or risk being tarred as a harridan, older women’s indignation seems ripe for reassessment.
—New York Times, 30 July 2019
Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 May 2025
And Day, with a face of expressive misery and the energy of an imploding firecracker, portrays her as a shrewd fusion of harridan and victim.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024
The subtext throughout is that Tendler is a harridan, a domineering scold.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2024
He was still steeled, still prepared for some harridan.
—Graham Swift, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2024
Richard Millet became a kind of referendum on what wasn’t yet termed cancel culture, with Ernaux denounced as a harridan intent on enforcing politically correct censorship at the expense of a man’s career.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2022
Throughout her tenure as House speaker, Pelosi has been painted by Trump supporters as an unhinged harridan: crazy, conniving and hungry for power.
—Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2022
Allen’s account paints Mia Farrow as an abusive, baby-crazed harridan who beat and brainwashed her many children.
—Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2020
Still, for a generation brought up to smile in the face of almost any affront or risk being tarred as a harridan, older women’s indignation seems ripe for reassessment.
—New York Times, 30 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harridan
shrew
Noun
-
For the study, researchers looked at 1,376 vertebrate species known to eat some amount of carrion, ranging from tiger sharks and spotted hyenas to cane toads and common shrews.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 June 2025
-
The music hall performer Belle Elmore was dismissed by the press as a vulgar shrew.—
Jennifer Wright,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harridan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harridan. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share