shrill

[ shril ]

/ ʃrɪl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR shrill ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, shrill·er, shrill·est.

high-pitched and piercing in sound quality: a shrill cry.

producing such a sound.

full of or characterized by such a sound: shrill music.

betraying some strong emotion or attitude in an exaggerated amount, as antagonism or defensiveness.

marked by great intensity; keen: the shrill, incandescent light of the exploding bomb.

verb (used with or without object)

to cry shrilly.

noun

a shrill sound.

adverb

in a shrill manner; shrilly.

Origin of shrill

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

OTHER WORDS FROM shrill

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

Words nearby shrill

shrieval, shrievalty, shrieve, shrift, shrike, shrill, shrimp, shrimp plant, shrimper, shrimpfish, shrine

Example sentences from the Web for shrill

Behind a chorus of shrill insects, the pops of gunfire can sometimes be heard in the distance.

A Belgian Prince, Gorillas, Guerrillas & the Future of the Congo |Nina Strochlic |November 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“When I was doing press for Whitney, critics were commenting on my appearance, saying I was shrill, saying I was needy,” she says.

Why Whitney Cummings’ Dick Jokes Are Important |Kevin Fallon |June 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
We're so used to seeing in sitcoms the same relationship: the naggy, shrill wife who's constantly bickering with her husband.

‘Surviving Jack’ Star Rachael Harris Is No Longer ‘The Bitch' |Kevin Fallon |March 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The noise in the stadium grew for every point he won, but the points he lost were greeted with shrill, desperate screams.

How to Hide a Famine with Ping-Pong |Nicholas Griffin |January 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Her voice was shrill with disbelief and choked with grief as she spoke to someone on her cell phone in Fujianese.

Brooklyn Mother, Four Children Allegedly Slain by Jealous Cousin |Michael Daly |October 28, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
His voice was shrill and high; he agitated his hands in their fine, tied sleeves. '

The Fifth Queen Crowned |Ford Madox Ford
The child could only control the animal with his shrill little voice, but the horse was afraid of Joby Toby.

The Firm of Nucingen |Honore de Balzac
The shrill speaker of a moment before had softened suddenly.

The Best Short Stories of 1917 |Various
As they bent over his dead body, a shrill scream rose on the air.

B. C. 30,000 |Sterner St. Paul Meek
"I'll have him arrested to-morrow," burst out Mr. Hand, his voice quavering and shrill with anger.

The Raid From Beausejour; And How The Carter Boys Lifted The Mortgage |Charles G. D. Roberts

British Dictionary definitions for shrill

shrill

/ (ʃrɪl) /

adjective

sharp and high-pitched in quality

emitting a sharp high-pitched sound

verb

to utter (words, sounds, etc) in a shrill tone

(tr) rare to cause to produce a shrill sound

Derived forms of shrill

shrillness, noun shrilly, adverb

Word Origin for shrill

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

shrill

adjective, shrill·er, shrill·est.

verb (used with or without object)

noun

adverb

Origin of shrill

OTHER WORDS FROM shrill

Words nearby shrill

Example sentences from the Web for shrill

British Dictionary definitions for shrill

adjective

verb

Derived forms of shrill

Word Origin for shrill

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

shrill

adjective, shrill·er, shrill·est.

verb (used with or without object)

noun

adverb

Origin of shrill

OTHER WORDS FROM shrill

Words nearby shrill

Words related to shrill

Example sentences from the Web for shrill

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for shrill

adjective

verb

Derived forms of shrill

Word Origin for shrill

British Dictionary definitions for shrill