1
as in shrew
a bad-tempered scolding woman
in fairy tales stepmothers are often portrayed as harpies who make the lives of their stepchildren miserable
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2
as in predator
a person who habitually preys upon others
having just started to make it really big in the music business, he found himself surrounded by a flock of harpies greedy for a piece of the action
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harpy
The clergy and royal courts in days of yore used images of griffins, hellmouths, harpies, dragons and sea swine to instill fear, to divide anxious populations, to assert dominance and control, and to ostracize non-Europeans.
—
Steven Litt, cleveland.com, 1 Sep. 2019
Elizabeth Moss, as Claire, has based her career playing sad-sacks and harpies, in Mad Men, The Square, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Her Smell; so Moss is a comic actress by default.
—Armond White, National Review, 9 Aug. 2019
There are fairies and nymphs, unicorns, harpies, giants, ogres, trolls, Gollums and dragons.
—Patti Restivo, baltimoresun.com, 14 June 2019
But maybe these women aren’t evil vixens or cold-hearted harpies.
—Andrea Bartz, Marie Claire, 25 Feb. 2019
See all Example Sentences for harpy 
Steven Litt, cleveland.com, 1 Sep. 2019
Elizabeth Moss, as Claire, has based her career playing sad-sacks and harpies, in Mad Men, The Square, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Her Smell; so Moss is a comic actress by default.
—Armond White, National Review, 9 Aug. 2019
There are fairies and nymphs, unicorns, harpies, giants, ogres, trolls, Gollums and dragons.
—Patti Restivo, baltimoresun.com, 14 June 2019
But maybe these women aren’t evil vixens or cold-hearted harpies.
—Andrea Bartz, Marie Claire, 25 Feb. 2019
See all Example Sentences for harpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpy
Noun
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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
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The Mount Lyell shrew was captured in a photo for the first time in California.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Keep your property well-lit, as lights act as an easy deterrent to predators.—
Raul A. Reyes,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
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De Minaur, in tennis speak, has become Sinner’s pigeon: easy prey for the stronger predator.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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One raucous night at the local juke joint, a bluesy and boozy speakeasy that caters to Black patrons, turns into a fight for survival when vampires attempt to enter the premises.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
28 Jan. 2025
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The deadly deal with the devil — or in this case, vampire — unleashes a plague on the couple’s village in this remake of the 1922 German Expressionist classic.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Email Tags: vulture cinematrix cinematrix games vulture games cinematrix archive More Leave a Comment Latest News from Vulture awards szn 4:12 p.m.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2025
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Scarlett O’Hara, a wealthy white Southerner, picks her way out of the city, passing the littered remains of wagons and men while vultures hover overhead.—
Scott Spillman,
The New Yorker,
29 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Harpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpy. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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