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
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 shrew
The team also trapped three other species of shrew: the vagrant shrew, montane shrew and Merriam’s shrew.
—
Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
The trio ventured out into the eastern Sierra Nevada and captured six live Mount Lyell shrews (Sorex lyelli).
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025
To photograph the shrews, the team had to work quickly.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
By Issy Ronald |, CNN Momentarily pausing after eating some mealworms, an elusive shrew’s long snout pointed skywards, unaware of the historic portrait that had just been captured.
—Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrew
Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
The trio ventured out into the eastern Sierra Nevada and captured six live Mount Lyell shrews (Sorex lyelli).
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025
To photograph the shrews, the team had to work quickly.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
By Issy Ronald |, CNN Momentarily pausing after eating some mealworms, an elusive shrew’s long snout pointed skywards, unaware of the historic portrait that had just been captured.
—Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrew
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrew
Noun
-
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
-
The subtext throughout is that Tendler is a harridan, a domineering scold.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
16 Aug. 2024
Noun
-
But the film belongs to Moreno, clearly relishing the chance to play an unapologetic termagant.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Mar. 2022
-
Rita may be a bossy termagant, but her adoring Beppe appears to love being whacked around from time to time, so what’s the harm?—
John Von Rhein,
chicagotribune.com,
15 Apr. 2018
Noun
-
However, Hernandez continued to pursue her despite knowing that the former video vixen is heterosexual.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
3 Sep. 2019
-
Have no fear, as the love affair between Elvis impersonator Sailor Ripley and vivacious vixen Lula Fortune will also be showing at Prince Charles Cinema in London on Saturday, February 8 and Monday, February 10.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
2 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
For those guys, mothers are either harpies or sirens—villains or traps.—
Helen Shaw,
The New Yorker,
2 May 2024
-
This is her name for the seventh circle of hell from Dante’s Inferno, where the souls of those who’ve committed suicide become trees, and harpies peck at them for all eternity.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
21 Nov. 2023
Noun
-
Highlights of the evening included a live musical performance by Carla Renata, actress, film critic and singer.—
Carin Schoppmeyer,
Arkansas Online,
18 May 2025
-
Trump has highlighted measures, including lifting taxes on tips and overtime that Republicans say would boost working-class Americans, while critics say the bill will offer more benefits to the wealthy.—
David Morgan,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
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
Noun
-
That fury gained public visibility after UnitedHealthcare's top executive, Brian Thompson, was shot and killed on a Manhattan street in December.—
Maria Aspan,
NPR,
16 May 2025
-
Future In Focus Shareholder fury: Max and Jake have been sniffing out what could happen to ITV, the UK broadcaster/producer whose future has been the subject of international gossip for quite some time now.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shrew.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrew. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share