nymphs

plural of nymph
1
as in mermaids
a mythical goddess represented as a young girl and said to live outdoors she bought the book of fairy tales for the beautiful engravings of nymphs and fairies featured between the stories

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in larvae
a young wingless often wormlike form (as a grub or caterpillar) that hatches from the egg of many insects mayfly nymphs

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in girls
a female person who has not yet reached adulthood the neighborhood nymphs were gathered at the local pizza parlor

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 nymphs There were four dead German cockroach nymphs on a glue trap in the cabinet under the handwash sink. Sacbee.com, 22 Aug. 2025 Dragonfly nymphs have a lower section of their mandibles that kind of unhinges, shoots forward, grabs stuff, and comes back in again, so very much like the Alien! Richard Edwards, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nymphs
Noun
  • In Voodoo lore, Marie Laveau was heavily associated with mermaids.
    Time, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
  • That season’s Pirates of the High Seas & Renaissance Fest is a local favorite, with sword fights, fire performers, and mermaids drawing families and fantasy lovers to the shore.
    Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • While that is still the primary focus, in 2023, Credible Mentors added GLOW414 and YAP to better serve at-risk girls, youths and families in crisis.
    Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Another photo showed the Grammy winner inside a home, standing with Jarrett and two little girls who played on a keyboard.
    Angel Saunders, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In the final novel of the series, The Last Battle, the destruction of trees and dryads in Lantern Waste, a place tied to the creation of Narnia itself, is one of many portentous omens signalling the end of the world.
    Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Monday’s special Labor Day card features two $100,000, dirt stakes races — the one-mile Tranquility Lakes for older fillies and mares and the Generous Portion, a 5½-furlong sprint for Cal-bred 2-year-old fillies.
    Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nymphs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nymphs. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on nymphs

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!