HARPIES Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

harpies

noun

plural of harpy

as in shrews

a bad-tempered scolding woman in fairy tales stepmothers are often portrayed as harpies who make the lives of their stepchildren miserable

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in predators

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

prey

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 harpies 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 In the right-wing imagination, these women are acting like harpies — an epithet often seen online — when they’re supposed to be helpmeets. — Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026 Think a front desk hewn from Dionysos marble and sconces in the shape of harpies. — Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpies

Noun

Better still are the mountain views that surround the lake and the robust collection of wildlife that call this place home, from voles, shrews, and marmots to elk, black bears, and porcupines.

— Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2026
And unlike voles and other plant-eating garden visitors, shrews rarely damage plants, roots, or bulbs.

— Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of shrews

Noun

The male of the species remains alone with the eggs and fights off predators until his body gives out, at which point his flesh becomes the hatchlings’ first food.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Oct. 2026
With few predators in these new habitats, a single fish can produce more than 2 million eggs a year.

— Victoria Malloy, Time, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of predators

Noun

Many Orlando-area homes feature skeletons that tower over the neighborhood, witchy covens, horror movie icons, clowns, pirate ships, pumpkins, zombies and vampires.

— Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
It is nearly considered folkloric, with contemporary vampires still mirroring the characteristics of Polidori’s Ruthven.

— Maria Papadouris, JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of vampires

Noun

Scarabs, serpents, vultures, lunar ornaments, ancient gods like Horus and Anubis carved from gold and lapis lazuli—all strategically placed on various points along the body.

— Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 16 Oct. 2026
There are always vultures circling, and always cowards caving.

— Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026