harridan (noun)

1. In the novel, the protagonist falls in love with a beautiful young woman, but her overbearing mother acts like a harridan, trying to keep them apart.

2. The haunted house was once inhabited by a harridan who terrorized anyone who dared to enter.

3. The strict nun was known to be a harridan, constantly berating the students for their perceived sins.

4. During the Salem Witch Trials, many innocent women were accused of being harridans and were unjustly executed.