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• Harpy
  Harpy

  noun

  a ravenous, filthy monster having a woman's head and a bird's body.
• harpy
  harpy

  noun

  a cruel grasping woman

Harpy

American  

[hahr-pee] / ˈhɑr pi /

noun

• Harpies
  plural

1. Classical Mythology. a ravenous, filthy monster having a woman's head and a bird's body.

2. (lowercase) a scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman; shrew.

3. (lowercase) a greedy, predatory person.

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Harpy ¹ British  

/ ˈhɑːpɪ /

noun

1. Greek myth a ravenous creature with a woman's head and trunk and a bird's wings and claws

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harpy ² British  

/ ˈhɑːpɪ /

noun

1. a cruel grasping woman

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• harpylike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Harpies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Harpy

< Latin Harpȳia, singular of Harpȳiae < Greek Hárpȳiai (plural), literally, snatchers, akin to harpázein to snatch away

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Harpy harpy Harpies

Iran likely had some access to Harpy drones used by Israel in Syria or Lebanon, said Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Now I wake up between 6 and 8 a.m. to walk Harpy.

From New York Times ● Sep. 24, 2021

Harpy eagles were once widespread throughout southern Mexico and Central and South America, but tree cutting and burning has dramatically shrunk their range.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2021

The IAI Harpy is launched from the ground and can linger for hours over a target area.

From The Verge ● Jun. 3, 2021

The Shavepate felt it would win her support against the Sons of 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

Instead of a shrill harpy, Ms. Stundyte’s Elektra was a broken, often insecure, figure.

From New York Times ● Aug. 5, 2020

She seemed to be the only one who could touch the harpy without causing lots of screaming and twitching.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

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 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

Jason and the Argonauts had a stunning variety of creatures – Talos, the man of bronze, the Harpies and the army of skeletons among them – populating the hero's mythical quest.

From The Guardian ● May 7, 2013

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