1
as in nymph
a mythical goddess represented as a young girl and said to live outdoors in Greek mythology, naiads supposedly drowned the young men with whom they became enamored

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2
as in larva
a young wingless often wormlike form (as a grub or caterpillar) that hatches from the egg of many insects students in science class learning how to distinguish a dragonfly naiad from an earthworm

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of naiad Today, the naiads frolic in water that is periodically drained for cleaning and maintenance. David Laskin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2024 And now, as played with fierce physicality and grueling commitment by Annette Bening, Diana is a movie character: an impossible person who achieved the impossible, a naiad whose truer mythological counterpart might be Narcissus. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2023 Leighton set his youthful figure — a classical nymph or naiad — in a Mediterranean setting. Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2022 The lovely Arcadia region, lush with cypress, poplar, and olive groves, bears traces of the virgin wilderness where nymphs, naiads, and the horned god Pan once frolicked. Thomas Linkel, National Geographic, 18 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naiad
Noun
  • Does your dog enjoy the occasional sky raisin as cicadas and their nymph shells cover Cincinnati and southern Ohio?
    Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
  • The nymph stages are immobile and resemble scale insects, while the adult moths are 1/16-inch long and covered with a dusting of white wax.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • Chewing damage is your first hint night-feeding larva are present but hiding below during the daytime.
    Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2025
  • New World screwworms are the parasitic larva of a metallic blue blow fly species called Cochliomyia hominivorax.
    Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • Meet mermaids at the aquarium Your favorite shimmering stars of the sea glide and twirl through the water with their tropical fish friends as part of the Mermaids Make Waves special event.
    Caroline Ritzie, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
  • Your summer jewelry should feel like it was made by a gaggle of mermaids.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • Having regained his health, Geralt heads off with Jaskier and the dryad Milva to find Ciri, following a little skirmish with some power-mad guards.
    Nick Romano, EW.com, 27 July 2023
  • Merlin and Cosmo are both in their 30s, with dark curly hair and similarly rangy builds, though Merlin’s face is more delicate, as though a distant ancestor might have been part elf or dryad.
    Jennifer Kahn, New York Times, 8 June 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Naiad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/naiad. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.

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