termagant

plural termagants · alternative termigant

1. archaicA brawling, boisterous, and turbulent person or thing.

   Yonder is Sarah Marlborough's palace, just as it stood when that termagant occupied it.

   1861 November, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “George the Third”, in The Four Georges: Sketches of Manners, Morals, Court, and Town Life, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 112

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   […] I do not find hovv his E[xcellenc]y can be juſtly cenſured for favouring none but High-Church, High-flyers, Termagants, Laudiſts, Sacheverellians, Tip-top-gallon-men, Jacobites, Tantivyes, Anti-Hannoverians, Friends to Popery and the Pretender, and to Arbitrary Povver, […]

   1730, [Jonathan Swift], A Vindication of His Excellency the Lord C[artere]t, from the Charge of Favouring None but Tories, High-Churchmen and Jacobites. […], London: […] [William Bowyer] for T. Warner […], →OCLC, page 27

   [T]wo raw lads from a certain great manufacturing town […] were in the act of seeking for the speediest exit from the gardens; rather choosing to resign their share of the dinner, than to abide the farther consequences that might follow from the displeasure of his Highland Termagaunt.

   1823 December 23 (indicated as 1824), [Walter Scott], “Perplexities”, in St Ronan’s Well. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 196

   No person who had a natural interest in the Princess [Anne, Queen of Great Britain] could observe without uneasiness the strange infatuation which made her the slave of an imperious and reckless termagant [Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough].

   1851, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XV, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume III, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 564

   'Mrs Kane has been filling us in on some background information on Owen.' The woman nodded, drumming her nicotined fingers. 'And I have been assuring her that the boys who arrive here thimbleriggers and termagants are the least of our worries. But we do not send them out that way. Do we, Brother?'

   1980, Bernard Mac Laverty, chapter 6, in Lamb (King Penguin), Harmondsworth, Middlesex [London]: Penguin Books, published 1985, →OCLC, page 50

2. derogatoryspecificallyA censorious, nagging, and quarrelsome woman; a scold, a shrew.

   The name of Xanthippe, the wife of Socrates, has become proverbial for a termagant.

   1907, Plato, “[Index] Σωκράτης, -ους”, in Isaac Flagg, editor, The Apology and Crito, New York, N.Y.; Cincinnati, Oh.: American Book Company, →OCLC, page 196, column 2

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   They [authors] would not suffer the stout'st Dame, / To swear by Hercules his Name, / Make feeble Ladies, in their Works, / To fight like Termagants and Turks; […]

   1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]. Canto II.”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678, →OCLC; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLC, page 38

   This Girl is ſo exceſſively ill-bred, and ſuch an arrant Termagant, that I cou'd as ſoon fall in love vvith a Tigreſs. She hath a handſom Face, 'tis true, but in her Temper ſhe is a very Fury.

   a. 1733 (date written), [John] Gay, Achilles. An Opera. […], London: […] J[ohn] Watts […], published 1733, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii, page 27

   [T]he Widow Chupin […] poured forth a torrent of invective upon Gevrol and his agents, accusing them of persecuting her family […] At first the General tried to impose silence upon the terrible termagant; but he soon discovered that he was powerless; besides all his subordinates were laughing.

   1894, Émile Gaboriau, chapter 1, in Laura E. Kendall, transl., Monsieur Lecoq […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: Peter Fenelon Collier, →OCLC, page 15

   Easier divorce, equal pay for equal work as between men and women, no discrimination between the sexes in employment—these were her causes, and in promoting them she was no comic-strip feminist termagant, but reasonable, logical, and untiring.

   1970, Robertson Davies, “The Soirée of Illusions”, in Fifth Business […], Toronto, Ont.: Macmillan of Canada, →ISBN, section 3, page 282

   Synonyms: battle axe, bitch, brim, brimstone, cat, cockatrice, crow, dragon

comparative more termagant · superlative most termagant

1. archaicHaving the temperament of a termagant (noun sense 1); bad-tempered, brawling, boisterous, turbulent.

   [R]idiculous ſenſeles ſentences, finicall, flaunting phraſes, and termagant inkhorne tearmes throughout his booke, […]

   1596, Tho[mas] Nashe, “Dialogus”, in Haue with You to Saffron-Walden. Or, Gabriell Harveys Hunt is Up. […], London: […] John Danter, →OCLC; republished as J[ohn] P[ayne] C[ollier], editor, Have with You to Saffron-Walden (Miscellaneous Tracts; Temp. Eliz. and Jac. I), [London: s.n., 1870], →OCLC, page 44

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   O Cupid vvhat a Termagant tyrant art thou / Over poore ſubjects of ſixteene! There is not one / Among a hundred of thoſe tickliſh Trifles / But is more taken vvith a Toy at ſixteene / Then ſix and tvventy: […]

   1632 (date written), Richard Brome, “The Novella, a Comedie. […]”, in A[lexander] Brome, editor, Five New Playes, […], London: […] Humphrey Moseley, Richard Marriot, and Thomas Dring, […], published 1653, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, signature I2, recto

   What if I stayed on at the University of Nottingham in Malaysia as the Head of School of English? The remuneration was not something to be sneeze at, but I had to remain cheerful and composed even in the face of a hostile dean, spoiled students and termagant parents.

   2025 September 4, Danton Remoto, “What ifs in one’s life”, in The Manila Times, retrieved 07 Sep 2025

2. derogatoryspecificallyOf a woman, her behaviour, etc.: censorious, nagging, and quarrelsome; scolding, shrewish.

   "That's as muckle as till say, Bark, Bawtie, and be dune wi't!—I tell ye," raising her termagant voice, "I want my bairn! is na that braid Scots?"

   1818 July 25, Jedediah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter VI, in Tales of My Landlord, Second Series, […] (The Heart of Mid-Lothian), volume II, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Company, →OCLC, page 144

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   [F]earing his Father ſhould knovv of it, and his VVife, vvho is a Termagant Lady: but vvhen he finds the Coaſt is clear, and his late ruffling knovvn to none but you, he vvill be drunk vvith joy.

   1667 August 25 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Dryden], Sr Martin Mar-all, or The Feign’d Innocence: A Comedy. […], London: […] H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1668, →OCLC, Act I, page 4

   But this Lady is ſo Termagant an Empreſs! and he ſo ſubmiſſive, ſo tame, ſo led a Keeper, and as proud of his Slavery, as a French man: I am confident he dares not find her falſe, for fear of a quarrel vvith her; […]

   1677 (date written), John Dryden, The Kind Keeper; or, Mr. Limberham: A Comedy: […], London: […] R[ichard] Bentley, and M[ary] Magnes, […], published 1680, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 6

   He answered Phillis a little abruptly at supper the same evening, upon which she threw his periwig into the fire. 'Well,' said he 'thou art a brave termagant jade: do you know, hussy, that fair wig cost forty guineas?'

   1709 August 23 (Gregorian calendar), Isaac Bickerstaff [pseudonym; Richard Steele et al.], “Friday, August 13, 1709”, in The Tatler, number 54; republished in [Richard Steele], editor, The Tatler, […], London stereotype edition, volume I, London: I. Walker and Co.; […], 1822, →OCLC, page 325

   The Eldeſt vvas a termagant, imperious, prodigal, levvd, profligate VVench, as ever breath'd; ſhe uſed to Rantipole about the Houſe, pinch the Children, kick the Servants, and torture the Cats and the Dogs; […]

   1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “How the Guardians of the Deceas’d Mrs. Bull’s Three Daughters Came to John, and what Advice they Gave Him; wherein is Briefly Treated the Characters of the Three Daughters: Also John Bull’s Answer to the Three Guardians”, in John Bull in His Senses: Being the Second Part of Law is a Bottomless-Pit. […], Edinburgh: […] James Watson, […], →OCLC, page 21

   But the eldeſt daughter vvas alvvays her darling, vvho I underſtand is pretty much of her mother's ovvn caſt; and makes a very termagant vvife to a very turbulent huſband.

   1761, [Frances Sheridan], “The Journal. [May 11. 1704.]”, in Memoirs of Miss Sidney Bidulph, […], volume I, London: […] R[obert] and J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, page 248

1. archaichistoricalA fictitious deity with a violent temperament who featured in medieval mystery plays, represented as being worshipped by Muslims or (less commonly) other non-Christians.

   I could haue ſuch fellow whipt for o're-doing Termagant: it out-Herod's Herod. Pray you auoid it.

   c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 266, column 2

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   For nations tvvaine inhabite there and dvvell / Of ſundry faith, together in that tovvne [Jerusalem], / The leſſer part on Chriſt beleeued vvell, / On Termagant the more, and on Mahovvne.

   1600, [Torquato Tasso], “The First Booke of Godfrey of Bulloigne”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC, stanza 84, page 18

   "Now, in faith," said Wamba, "I cannot see that the worshippers of Mahound and Termagaunt have so greatly the advantage over the people once chosen of Heaven."

   1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter VII, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 82