battle-ax

noun

bat·​tle-ax ˈba-tᵊl-ˌaks 

variants or battle-axe

1

: a broadax formerly used as a weapon of war

2

: a usually older woman who is sharp-tongued, domineering, or combative

Synonyms

• dragon lady
• fury
• harpy
• harridan
• shrew
• termagant
• virago
• vixen

Examples of battle-ax in a Sentence

the veteran stage actress stole every scene with a tour de force performance as the dysfunctional family's battle-ax matriarch

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

battle-ax

noun

bat·​tle-ax

variants or battle-axe

ˈbat-ᵊl-ˌaks

: an ax with a broad blade formerly used as a weapon