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termagant

American  
[tur-muh-guhnt] / ˈtɜr mə gənt /

noun

  1. a violent, turbulent, or brawling woman.

    Synonyms:
    scold, harridan, virago, shrew

  2. (initial capital letter) a mythical deity popularly believed in the Middle Ages to be worshiped by the Muslims and introduced into the morality play as a violent, overbearing personage in long robes.

adjective

  1. violent; turbulent; brawling; shrewish.

termagant British  
/ ˈtɜːməɡənt /

noun

    1. a shrewish woman; scold

    2. ( as modifier )

      a termagant woman
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • termagancy noun
  • termagantly adverb

Etymology

Origin of termagant

1175–1225; Middle English Termagaunt, earlier Tervagaunt, alteration of Old French Tervagan name of the imaginary deity

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As an astringent, tipsy termagant, she’s so hilarious, appalling and endearing that she could carry the production all by herself.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2015

I appreciate this one because we so rarely hear what the groom ends up thinking when he watches his betrothed turn into a termagant.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2012

Her eldest son, Alec, returns home with his termagant wife when their house collapses.

From The Guardian • Oct. 26, 2010

The outsized termagant is voiced here, as she was in the rather dull 2002 Broadway revival of the musical, by Judi Dench, in full, booming form.

From New York Times • Aug. 24, 2010

She soon gets over it, and the old termagant must give in at last, for they can do nothing without her.

From Seed-time and Harvest A Novel by Reuter, Fritz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.