Thesaurus results for SHREW

shrew

noun

ˈshrü

Definition of shrew

as in harridan

a bad-tempered scolding woman Rip Van Winkle went off into the mountains to escape his wife, a shrew who made his life miserable

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 shrew 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 Because for the most part, Caroline comes off as a rigid uptight shrew. — Lisa Depaulo, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026 Rats, cats, tree squirrels, manatees, harbor seals, sea otters, pole cats, shrews, tammar wallabies, sea lions, and naked mole-rats all share strikingly similar basic whisker anatomies, according to various prior studies. — ArsTechnica, 12 Feb. 2026 Especially early on in the campaign, when I was being attacked as being angry, a shrew, demeaning my husband — all these labels were coming in on me that were essentially trying to rob me of that femininity. — Janine Rubenstein, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shrew

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrew

Noun

Into this vacuum, a misogynistic sense of her as a harridan or a drug-using flake emerged.

— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 3 Feb. 2026
Given its plotting, Brooks’s movie could easily have made Iris into a harridan and Isaac into a sociopathic rogue.

— Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2025

Definition of harridan

Noun

Critics leapt at the chance to cast feminists as prudes and housewives as vixens.

— Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
But where the original video vixen era prioritized physical spectacle and often reduced its subjects to aesthetic objects, this new wave is about intentional community-building.

— Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2026

Definition of vixen

Noun

Like most eagles, the aviary says the female harpy is significantly larger than the male — sometimes twice the size.

— Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 28 May 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

Definition of harpy

Noun

The festival’s advisory group includes director Dan Löwenstein, founder of House of Create, vertical drama critic and consultant Jen Cooper of Vertical Drama Love, and Christine Hartland, co-founder and chief operating officer of My Smash Media.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Yet the latest proposal seems to undercut some of those achievements, according to its critics.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of critic

Noun

Skin is important here, not just its color but its texture as Josephine, for example, goes from elegant sophisticate to sweaty, sunburned, frizzy virago increasingly swollen with pregnancy and angry mosquito bites.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Aug. 2023
Meredith is a stereotypical virago updated with modern libertarian notions.

— Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2023

Definition of virago

Noun

The details of the allegations, which disclosed how fraternity members used a Snapchat group chat to discuss the woman and events at the party with openly crude language, sparked fury across the nation.

— Elissa Nadworny, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026
But the North previously reacted with fury to major defections of its citizens, accusing South Korea of kidnapping them.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of fury

Browse Nearby Words

shreds

shrew

shrewd

See all Nearby Words

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“Shrew.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrew. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shrew

noun

Example Sentences

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