What does harridan mean?
A harridan is a disagreeable, fierce-tempered, or domineering woman, traditionally understood to be an older woman. The word is strongly derogatory and is commonly used to portray someone as tyrannical, abrasive, or unnecessarily aggressive. Its conventional image is not merely of an angry person but of a formidable older woman whose unpleasant manner and forceful personality make others feel intimidated or persecuted. In modern usage, the reference to age may sometimes be weakened, allowing the term to describe a domineering woman more generally. Nevertheless, it remains a gendered insult rather than a neutral description, so neutral contexts generally prefer terms such as “difficult,” “authoritarian,” or “intimidating.” The word is chiefly used in British and American English, often in fiction, comedy, and forceful personal criticism.
nounA disagreeable, fierce-tempered, or domineering woman, especially an old woman.
- A disagreeable, fierce-tempered, or domineering woman, especially an old woman.
"Her tyrannical aunt was a formidable old harridan who brooked no opposition."
"The new tenant complained that the landlady was an intimidating harridan."
"In the comedy, the stern matriarch is presented as a harridan whose sharp tongue unsettles everyone around her."
The regular plural is used when referring to more than one harridan.
"The two sisters were notorious harridans within their small village."
A harridan is more than an angry woman: the word carries the traditional image of an older, formidable woman with a formidable temper.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does harridan come from?
The word was borrowed into English from French haridelle, an old term for a withered or disagreeable old woman. That French word developed from Old French harie, meaning “withered” or “shriveled,” and is usually traced to a Germanic root associated with dryness or shriveling. English usage developed from this older and more literal sense toward the modern meaning of a fierce or domineering woman.
Related word forms
How harridan is actually used
This is a pejorative, gendered term and is usually insulting rather than complimentary. Although it traditionally refers to an old woman, it is sometimes applied more broadly to a domineering or abrasive woman.
Easily confused with harridan
A harpy is generally a fierce or ravenous creature, while a harridan specifically denotes an unpleasant, domineering woman, traditionally an older one.