Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A woman regarded as critical and scolding.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An odious old woman; a hag; a vixenish woman.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A worn-out strumpet; a vixenish woman; a hag.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A vicious and scolding woman, especially an older one.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a scolding (even vicious) old woman

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Possibly from French haridelle, gaunt woman, old horse, nag.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Perhaps a modification of French haridelle ("old horse, nag").

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Examples

  • The word "harridan" derives from the French word "haridelle" - a worn-out horse or nag.

    THE NEWS BLOG 2005

  • I really thought before I used the word harridan to describe Senator Clinton's outburst.

    Hillary: "Shame On You, Barack Obama" 2009

  • I recalled a harridan of satanic disposition old enough to have written the first drafts of most of her charges.

    Petty Pewter Gods Cook, Glen 1995

  • Look up "harridan" in the dictionary and Annie's picture looks back at you.

    Ann Coulter Loses It, Calls Elizabeth Edwards A "Harridan" 2009

  • In this column, Dowd claims that conservatives were trying to paint Michelle Obama as a "harridan", but of course she offers absolutely no examples of how conservatives were attempting this feat.

    The Minority Report - 2009

  • notmaxclifford - its just too ungallant to refer to Jenny as a 'harridan'.

    Its Goodbye to Humour. Glyn Davies 2008

  • In my book, I refer to my mother as General Patton in pedal pushers, and frequently paint her as a shrieking harridan for whom water in the kitchen sink or unraked shag carpeting could produce bouts of rage: earsplitting, fist-shaking, God-summoning rage that fortunately predated the presence of guns in the suburban household.

    Eric Poole: She has Every Right to Kill Me Eric Poole 2011

  • In my book, I refer to my mother as General Patton in pedal pushers, and frequently paint her as a shrieking harridan for whom water in the kitchen sink or unraked shag carpeting could produce bouts of rage: earsplitting, fist-shaking, God-summoning rage that fortunately predated the presence of guns in the suburban household.

    Eric Poole: She has Every Right to Kill Me Eric Poole 2011

  • And they proceeded to blindly follow the heartless, shrewish harridan Margaret Thatcher.

    Martin Lewis: Murdoch Most Foul Martin Lewis 2011

  • No less a harridan for safety than the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has dubbed his campaign misguided.

    Driving Distraction Jr. Holman W. Jenkins 2011

Comments

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  • i would say to a woman:

    you are a harry dan! OR

    you are a hairy dan!

    November 30, 2007

  • "Perhaps it is because feminists are still so busy cataloging past slights to Hillary that they have failed to mount a vivid defense of Michelle Obama, who has taken over from Hillary as the one conservatives like to paint as a harridan."

    The New York Times, Mr. Darcy Comes Courting, by Maureen Down, August 3, 2008

    August 3, 2008