harpy

noun

ˈhär-pē How to pronounce harpy (audio)
Definition of harpynext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 harpy Think a front desk hewn from Dionysos marble and sconces in the shape of harpies. — Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2025 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 Karen is, of course, the generic name for the ubiquitous American harpy who, through the long summer of 2020, pitched fits about masks and sometimes about race, in public spaces. — Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 18 Aug. 2020 See All Example Sentences for harpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpy
  1. shrew
  2. predator
  3. vampire
  4. vulture
Noun
  • In nature, larger animals, such as elephants and whales, tend to live longer than smaller animals, such as mice and shrews, Teeling says.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of shrew
Noun
  • Because the outcome of sporting events holds significance to the athlete, the brain doesn’t distinguish between the threat of letting a team down by allowing a game-losing goal and a predator in the wild.
    — Jesse Granger, New York Times, 23 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 predator
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 vampire
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
Definition of vulture

Browse Nearby Words

harps (on)
harpy
harquebus
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Harpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpy. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on harpy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about harpy

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All