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 Think a front desk hewn from Dionysos marble and sconces in the shape of harpies. — Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2025 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpies

Noun

These are important tools used for both feeding and building their dens and digging for other menu items such as mice, gophers, voles and shrews.

— Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026
The tiny bodies of weasels, shrews and bats burn energy so fast that skipping even one meal can mean starvation.

— Leonie Baier, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026

Definition of shrews

Noun

With no natural predators and the ability to breed year-round, their populations have exploded over the decades.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
Various aromatic plants repel mosquitoes and attract beneficial predators to deter vegetable pests, and some of these, like flowering catmint, also attract hummingbirds.

— The Spruce, The Spruce, 5 July 2026

Definition of predators

Noun

His strong corner is fighting werewolves, vampires and Paul Bunyon.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 July 2026
In their respective grief, mommy issues, daughter issues, and, in the case of Armand and Daniel, daddy issues, our vampires are giving each other a run for their money over who is the most beautiful, most unwell.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 29 June 2026