shrew
1 of 2noun
ˈshrü 
especially Southern ˈsrü
1
: any of a family (Soricidae) of small chiefly nocturnal insectivores related to the moles and distinguished by a long pointed snout, very small eyes, and short velvety fur
2
: an ill-tempered scolding woman
shrewlike
ˈshrü-ˌlīk
adjective shrew
2 of 2verb
shrewed; shrewing; shrews
transitive verb
obsolete
: curse
Synonyms
Noun
- battle-ax
- battle-axe
- dragon lady
- fury
- harpy
- harridan
- termagant
- virago
- vixen
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun Rip Van Winkle went off into the mountains to escape his wife, a shrew who made his life miserable.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kent Sepkowitz, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022 Bill Clinton got to come out looking like a cool guy, Hillary looked like a shrew. ELLE, 11 Apr. 2022 Marty the nebbish, Ike the shyster, Phyllis the shrew. Judy Berman, Time, 8 Nov. 2021 But Allison is turned into another stereotype, the tedious, finger-wagging shrew. The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2021 The occasional mouse or shrew will come through, and the real hunters in the family — Winchester, Hugo and Cheyenne — will hunt them relentlessly. Steve Meyer, Anchorage Daily News, 24 July 2021 Unfortunately, the shrew had a number of apocalypse-friendly adaptations humans have since lost. Cody Cassidy, Wired, 9 Apr. 2021 The idea behind these projects tends to follow a formula: this woman wasn’t always a monster, a harpy, a shrew. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2020 The elephant shrew has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years. Brett Harman, CNN, 21 Aug. 2020 See More
Noun
In eastern China, the Langya virus may have jumped from the white-toothed shrew to humans. Kent Sepkowitz, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022 Bill Clinton got to come out looking like a cool guy, Hillary looked like a shrew. ELLE, 11 Apr. 2022 Marty the nebbish, Ike the shyster, Phyllis the shrew. Judy Berman, Time, 8 Nov. 2021 But Allison is turned into another stereotype, the tedious, finger-wagging shrew. The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2021 The occasional mouse or shrew will come through, and the real hunters in the family — Winchester, Hugo and Cheyenne — will hunt them relentlessly. Steve Meyer, Anchorage Daily News, 24 July 2021 Unfortunately, the shrew had a number of apocalypse-friendly adaptations humans have since lost. Cody Cassidy, Wired, 9 Apr. 2021 The idea behind these projects tends to follow a formula: this woman wasn’t always a monster, a harpy, a shrew. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2020 The elephant shrew has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years. Brett Harman, CNN, 21 Aug. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English shrewe evil or scolding person, from Old English scrēawa shrew (animal)
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing shrew
Kids Definition
shrew
noun
ˈshrü
1
: a small mouselike animal with a long pointed snout and tiny eyes that lives mostly on insects and worms
2
: an unpleasant woman with a bad temper
shrews
noun
as in furies
a bad-tempered scolding woman Rip Van Winkle went off into the mountains to escape his wife, a shrew who made his life miserable Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- furies
- harridans
- vixens
- harpies
- termagants
- viragos
- critics
- dragon ladies
- viragoes
- battle-axes
- gorgons
- scolds
- fishwives
- carpers
- nitpickers
- detractors
- faultfinders
- cavillers
- railers
- cavilers
- censurers
- quibblers
- deriders
- fishwifes
- belittlers
- castigators
- pettifoggers