termagant
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of termagant
1175–1225; Middle English Termagaunt, earlier Tervagaunt, alteration of Old French Tervagan name of the imaginary deity
Explanation
Termagant is an insulting name for a woman who likes to nag, scold, or complain. Termagant is an old-fashioned insult for a woman. A termagant is like a shrew (another old-fashioned term). Termagants are always in a bad mood, whining and complaining, and generally making life miserable for everyone around them. You might also see termagant used as an adjective, as in "that termagant wife of yours is trouble." The noun termagant comes from a made-up violent god that frequently appeared in European medieval literature.
Vocabulary lists containing termagant
"The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Spoon River Anthology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As an astringent, tipsy termagant, she’s so hilarious, appalling and endearing that she could carry the production all by herself.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2015
I appreciate this one because we so rarely hear what the groom ends up thinking when he watches his betrothed turn into a termagant.
From Slate • Feb. 27, 2012
Valery Murga brings a solid bass voice to the barber arguably responsible for severing Kovalyov’s nose, and Liuba Chuchrova sings frighteningly as his termagant of a wife.
From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2011
Her eldest son, Alec, returns home with his termagant wife when their house collapses.
From The Guardian • Oct. 26, 2010
My dear L——, Ask yourself, in the name of common sense, why you should go to Petersburg with this sentimental coquette, this romantic termagant, of whom I see you are already more than half tired.
From Leonora by Edgeworth, Maria
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.
