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Definition of "termagant" [ter•ma•gant]

  • A quarrelsome, scolding woman; a shrew. (noun)
  • Shrewish; scolding. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "termagant" in a sentence
  • "Chapati Mystery a blog by Sepoy, "a doctoral candidate in History and South Asian Languages and Civilizations department at the University of Chicago" has a great post about the history of the word termagant 'a quarrelsome, scolding woman; a shrew.'"
  • ""Lord! what a termagant is your pretty cousin, Mr. Mallock!" said my companion when we were out of doors again."
  • "Do I feel bad that I was done in by a 13-year-old boy and didn't know that "termagant" means me at times ... a quarrelsome woman?"