shrew

noun

ˈshrü How to pronounce shrew (audio)
Definition of shrewnext
as in harridan
a bad-tempered scolding woman Rip Van Winkle went off into the mountains to escape his wife, a shrew who made his life miserable

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 shrew Because for the most part, Caroline comes off as a rigid uptight shrew. — Lisa Depaulo, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026 Rats, cats, tree squirrels, manatees, harbor seals, sea otters, pole cats, shrews, tammar wallabies, sea lions, and naked mole-rats all share strikingly similar basic whisker anatomies, according to various prior studies. — ArsTechnica, 12 Feb. 2026 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 The 2025 list of extinctions includes a bird, a shrew and a species of snail, among others. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shrew
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrew
  1. harridan
  2. termagant
  3. vixen
  4. harpy
  5. critic
  6. virago
  7. fury
Noun
  • Into this vacuum, a misogynistic sense of her as a harridan or a drug-using flake emerged.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 3 Feb. 2026
  • Given its plotting, Brooks’s movie could easily have made Iris into a harridan and Isaac into a sociopathic rogue.
    — Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2025
Definition of harridan
Noun
  • Rather than returning to a patient Penelope, Rip has fled the termagant Dame Van Winkle.
    — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
  • But the film belongs to Moreno, clearly relishing the chance to play an unapologetic termagant.
    — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2022
Definition of termagant
Noun
  • Critics leapt at the chance to cast feminists as prudes and housewives as vixens.
    — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
  • But where the original video vixen era prioritized physical spectacle and often reduced its subjects to aesthetic objects, this new wave is about intentional community-building.
    — Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of vixen
Noun
  • Like most eagles, the aviary says the female harpy is significantly larger than the male — sometimes twice the size.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 28 May 2026
  • And because harpies rely on large emergent trees for nesting and an extensive, continuous canopy for hunting, even partial deforestation will severely disrupt their ability to breed and forage.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Definition of harpy
Noun
  • Proponents call it one of the boldest financial experiments in history; critics say the most reckless.
    — Robin Wigglesworth, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026
  • While some of these undertakings are pegged to the country's 250th anniversary, critics have long accused the president of rushing to memorialize himself out of fear that no one else will.
    — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of critic
Noun
  • Skin is important here, not just its color but its texture as Josephine, for example, goes from elegant sophisticate to sweaty, sunburned, frizzy virago increasingly swollen with pregnancy and angry mosquito bites.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Aug. 2023
  • Meredith is a stereotypical virago updated with modern libertarian notions.
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2023
Definition of virago
Noun
  • In the midst of her fury and rage, Fatiha prays for her father’s safe return.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Explore See latest videos, charts and news The rocker, wearing a cap and aviator glasses, was joined with a full band and backing vocalists for a protest song that drips in fury and anger.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of fury

Browse Nearby Words

shreds
shrew
shrewd
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shrew.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrew. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on shrew

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shrew

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