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shrewish

adjective
shrew·​ish | \ ˈshrü-ish How to pronounce shrewish (audio) , especially Southern ˈsrü-\

Definition of shrewish

: ill-natured, intractable
Other Words from shrewish Example Sentences Learn More about shrewish

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Other Words from shrewish

shrewishly adverb
shrewishness noun

Examples of shrewish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 Here, things start off pretty much as the Bard intended — a beautiful young lady, Bianca, is courted from three directions, but can't be married off until her older, infamously shrewish sister, Katherine, finds a mate. — Tom Titus, latimes.com, "On Theater: A shrewd ‘Shrew!’ rewrites Shakespeare; rustic charm at the 'Spitfire Grill'," 5 Apr. 2018 His wife, Karen, turned shrewish from years of his bad money management, works at their daughter’s private school, receiving a tuition abatement instead of pay. — Sam Sacks, WSJ, "The Best New Fiction," 4 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shrewish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of shrewish

1565, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for shrewish

shrewish

adjective
How to pronounce shrewish (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of shrewish

old-fashioned, of a woman : unpleasant and bad-tempered

See the full definition for shrewish in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on shrewish

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with shrewish

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