Nearby Words
Synonyms

harridan

[hahr-i-dn] Example Sentences Origin

har·ri·dan

[hahr-i-dn]
noun
a scolding, vicious woman; hag; shrew.

Origin:
1690–1700; perhaps alteration of French haridelle thin, worn-out horse, large, gaunt woman (compared with the initial element of haras stud farm, though derivation is unclear)


nag, virago, scold.

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Harridan is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Example Sentences
  • Thompson portrayed archetypal mothers, from the loving family caretaker to the brutalizing harridan and mythical adulteress.
  • The old harridan transforms the brothers into seven swans and exiles them to a dismal swamp.
  • Ann is a shrill, sarcastic harridan who has nothing pleasant to say as she makes her way to the gin bottle in the office bar.
Collins
World English Dictionary
harridan (ˈhærɪdən)
 
n
a scolding old woman; nag
 
[C17: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to French haridelle, literally: broken-down horse; of obscure origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

harridan
1700, "one that is half Whore, half Bawd" ["Dictionary of the Canting Crew"]; "a decayed strumpet" [Johnson], from Fr. haridelle "a poore tit, or leane ill-favored jade," [Cotgrave, 1611], in Fr. from 16c., of unknown origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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