Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [hahr-i-dn]
- /ˈhɑr ɪ dn/
- /ˈhær.ɪ.dən/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [hahr-i-dn]
- /ˈhɑr ɪ dn/
Definitions of harridan word
- noun harridan a scolding, vicious woman; hag; shrew. 1
- noun harridan A strict, bossy, or belligerent old woman. 1
- noun harridan nagging woman 1
- countable noun harridan If you call a woman a harridan, you mean that she is unpleasant and speaks too forcefully. 0
- noun harridan a scolding old woman; nag 0
- noun harridan a nasty, bad-tempered woman, esp. an old one 0
Information block about the term
Origin of harridan
First appearance:
before 1690 One of the 49% oldest English words
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)
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Harridan
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
harridan popularity
A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 62% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
harridan usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for harridan
noun harridan
- shrew — any of several small, mouselike insectivores of the genus Sorex and related genera, having a long, sharp snout.
- vixen — a female fox.
- woman — the female human being, as distinguished from a girl or a man.
- virago — a loud-voiced, ill-tempered, scolding woman; shrew.
- strumpet — a prostitute; harlot.
Top questions with harridan
- what is a harridan?
- what does harridan mean?
See also
Matching words
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