Classical Mythology. a ravenous, filthy monster having a woman's head and a bird's body.
(lowercase) a scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman; shrew.
(lowercase) a greedy, predatory person.
< Latin Harpȳia, singular of Harpȳiae < Greek Hárpȳiai (plural), literally, snatchers, akin to harpázein to snatch away
A harpy is a monster from Greek mythology. A harpy has the head and upper body of a woman and the wings and lower body of a bird. In Greek mythology, harpies were creatures who were sent by Zeus during storms to do his bidding. When a person or an object went missing, the disappearance was often blamed on harpies. The word harpy comes from a Greek word meaning "snatcher." Today, the word harpy is often used as a derogatory term for a very unpleasant woman.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Harpy eagles had been spotted along the river a couple of years ago, Mr. Gualinga said, adding that he’d seen them on trips to the area in recent months.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
Its radar-killing Harpy can hover over anti-aircraft radar for up to nine hours waiting for them to power up.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 3, 2023
So is the Harpy a lethal autonomous weapons system?
From The Verge ● Jun. 3, 2021
Harpy birthday: On Dec. 8, wish it on Ann Coulter.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 26, 2018
And how did he accomplish that, unless he is himself the Harpy?
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
If a woman's happiness depended on her husband or boyfriend tamping down his talents, we'd all think she was an evil harpy.
From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2024
Pirro’s viral on-air moments inspired a breakout impersonation by Cecily Strong on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” who portrays her as a red wine-loving harpy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2022
Interestingly, it was once thought that this species was related to other large forest eagles found around the world, such as the harpy eagle of South America and the crowned hawk eagle of Africa.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 28, 2021
An authority on birds of prey, he established his bona fides as an adventurous wildlife filmmaker when he flew to British Guiana in 1955 to study the harpy eagle, one of the world’s largest raptors.
From Washington Post ● May 9, 2019
Her sculpted black steel breastplate was inlaid in gold and showed a harpy rising with chains dangling from her claws.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
We encounter it first in Homer’s “Iliad” and then again in Virgil’s “Aeneid,” where it appears at the doors of Hades alongside Gorgons, centaurs and Harpies.
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2023
The images of Chiron the centaur and his pupil Odysseus, or the purposeful winged Harpies, are burned into me.
From The Guardian ● May 23, 2020
The Greek hero sails through Harpies and clashing rocks to the Golden Fleece, guarded by the Hydra.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2019
But he barely has time to take a victory lap, because he's still got to see to the swarm of Harpies that materialize in the arena — you know what that means!
From The Verge ● Jun. 10, 2015
There was a large poster of the Wizarding band the Weird Sisters on one wall, and a picture of Gwenog Jones, Captain of the all-witch Quidditch team the Holyhead Harpies, on the other.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
