shrilled; shrilling; shrills
: to utter or emit an acute piercing sound
1
a
: having or emitting a sharp high-pitched tone or sound : piercing
b
: accompanied by sharp high-pitched sounds or cries
shrill gaiety
2
: having a sharp or vivid effect on the senses
shrill light
3
: strident, intemperate
shrill anger
shrill criticism
: a shrill sound
the shrill of the ship's whistle
shrill·ness
plural -es
: the quality or state of being shrill
the voice of woman … stretched into unnatural shrillness by anger and impatience—
T. L. Peacock
T. L. Peacockthe shrillness of the … electoral campaign—Foreign Affairs
Foreign AffairsExamples of shrill in a Sentence
Verb
the mud-splattered bystanders were shrilling with outrage at the inconsiderate motorist
Adjective
the shrill sound of a policeman's whistle
Recent Examples on the Web
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
This device is very loud and shrill when operating.
—Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2022
Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
The chaos is still an acceptable price to pay for Birney’s expertly offputting performance, a shrill mania that gets increasingly comic over time.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The Ochi speak, not with words, but sounds—melodic shrills that reverberate in the air and can be interpreted on an emotional level.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrill
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Verb
The shrieks and shrills filled the room.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
This device is very loud and shrill when operating.
—Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2022
Adjective
On shrill winter nights, Moscow’s power is conspicuous, its Orthodox cathedrals and Stalinist high-rises illuminated, though the view falls dim in the autumn and spring, shrouded in sheets of greige.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
The chaos is still an acceptable price to pay for Birney’s expertly offputting performance, a shrill mania that gets increasingly comic over time.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
The book is closely argued but at times shrill and inconsistent.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The Ochi speak, not with words, but sounds—melodic shrills that reverberate in the air and can be interpreted on an emotional level.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrill
Cite this Entry
“Shrill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrill. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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