Meaning
harpy, shrew
- a rapacious monster in Greek mythology with a woman's head and bird's body
- figuratively, an ill-tempered, spiteful, or grasping woman
In a sentence
Si è comportata come una vera arpia durante tutta la riunione.
She acted like a real shrew throughout the whole meeting.
Perché quella donna è diventata una tale arpia con tutti?
Why has that woman become such a harpy towards everyone?
Nel mito classico, le arpie tormentavano i naviganti.
In classical myth, the harpies tormented sailors.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| arpia | feminine · singular |
| arpie | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Derogatory when applied to a woman; use with caution.
- Often used in colloquial speech to vent frustration about someone malicious.