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View synonyms for

shrill

[ shril ]

adjective

shriller, shrillest.
  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

/ ʃɪ /

adjective

  1. sharp and high-pitched in quality
  2. emitting a sharp high-pitched sound
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to utter (words, sounds, etc) in a shrill tone
  2. rare.
    tr to cause to produce a shrill sound
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈԱ, noun
  • ˈ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • n noun
  • l adverb
  • dzܳȴ verb (used with object)
  • ܲ· adjective
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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 ī rabble
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Word History and Origins

Origin of shrill1

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

Then all the shrill noise of combat hits the ears at once and you understand how impossible it is to make sense of anything.

From

Shakespeare’s play assumes the shrieks and shrill cries of a B-movie.

From

These go-nowhere debates exhaust progressive energies and make it easier for the right to paint the left as "shrill."

From

We must transcend the shrill negative feelings and emotions that characterized the campaign season.

From

“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

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