Meaning & use
harridan
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Meaning
nouncountabledisapprovingold-fashionedoffensive
An insulting word for an older woman who is thought to be bossy, harsh, or bad-tempered.
Grammar: A countable noun used as an insult: describing someone as a harridan is rude.
Patterns
- a harridan of a landlady
In the novel, the heroine's aunt is a fearsome harridan who rules the house.
The old comedies often portrayed the landlady as a harridan.
Calling a woman a harridan is considered insulting today.
Word forms
| plural | harridans |
|---|
Common combinations
- a nagging harridan
- The play features a nagging harridan as the mother-in-law.
- a shrieking harridan
- The character is a shrieking harridan who frightens the servants.
- portrayed as a harridan
- The queen was portrayed as a harridan in the cartoon.
- a bullying harridan
- The headmistress in the story is a bullying harridan.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shrew
- Shrew is an older, literary insult for a nagging woman and is very similar in tone.
- battle-axe
- Battle-axe is a more informal insult for a domineering older woman and has a humorous edge.
- termagant
- Termagant is a rare literary word for a violent-tempered, scolding woman.
- virago
- Virago is formal and can suggest strength as well as harshness.
Word family
- harry verb
- to harass or attack repeatedly, possibly related in sense
- harridan-like adjective
- resembling a harridan in manner
Commonly confused: harridan or harpy?
harridan vs harpy
A harpy is a mythical creature with a woman's face and bird's body, also used for a cruel, greedy woman, while a harridan is a bossy older woman.
Practice
The old novel describes the landlady as a bad-tempered ____ who shouted at every lodger.
Choose one answer.
A harridan is a bossy, ill-tempered older woman, which fits the description. A heroine, hostess and herald have no such meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “harridan”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.