shrill

[ shril ]

adjective

, shrill·er, shrill·est.

1. high-pitched and piercing in sound quality:

   a shrill cry.

2. producing such a sound.
3. full of or characterized by such a sound:

   shrill music.

4. betraying some strong emotion or attitude in an exaggerated amount, as antagonism or defensiveness.
5. marked by great intensity; keen:

   the shrill, incandescent light of the exploding bomb.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to cry shrilly.

noun

1. a shrill sound.

adverb

1. in a shrill manner; shrilly.

shrill

/ ʃrɪl /

adjective

1. sharp and high-pitched in quality
2. emitting a sharp high-pitched sound

verb

1. to utter (words, sounds, etc) in a shrill tone
2. rare.
   tr to cause to produce a shrill sound

Derived Forms

• ˈshrillness, noun
• ˈshrilly, adverb

Other Words From

• shrillness noun
• shrilly adverb
• outshrill verb (used with object)
• un·shrill adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrill¹

1300–50; Middle English shrille (adj., v.); akin to Old English scrallettan to sound loudly; cognate with German schrill (adj.), schrillen (v.); compare Old Norse skrīll rabble

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrill¹

C14: probably from Old English scralletan; related to German schrill shrill, Dutch schrallen to shriek

Example Sentences

“We were harsh and shrill, and not nice”, he added, arguing that this resulted in many previous Conservative voters backing the Liberal Democrats or staying at home.

From BBC

The hoiho, whose Maori name means "noise shouter", is notoriously shy despite its loud, shrill call, says the organisation, who said the win would raise conservation efforts for the species.

From BBC

Her works achieve the difficult feat of synthesizing a coma-inducing dullness with piercingly shrill extended diatribes to create reverse masterpieces worthy of the most risible North Korean propaganda.

From Salon

I'm old enough to remember when the sexist stereotype of feminists was that they're "humorless" and "shrill."

From Salon

More than that, though, he continued, music is Gretchen’s “philosophy” as she grieves her mother and her most reliable “weapon” against the cuckoo people, whose shrill call notably juxtaposes Gretchen’s low-toned theme.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deafening
• discordant
• earsplitting
• noisy
• piercing
• raucous
• sharp
• strident