shrill

verb

\ ˈshril

, especially Southern ˈsril\

shrilled; shrilling; shrills

Definition of shrill

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

: scream

intransitive verb

: to utter or emit an acute piercing sound

shrill

adjective

Definition of shrill (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : 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

shrill

noun

Definition of shrill (Entry 3 of 3)

: a shrill sound the shrill of the ship's whistle

Other Words from shrill Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about shrill

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Other Words from shrill

Adjective

shrill adverb

shrillness noun

shrilly \ ˈshril-lē

, especially Southern ˈsril- \ adverb

Synonyms & Antonyms for shrill

Synonyms: Verb

howl, scream, screech, shriek, squall, squeal, yell, yelp

Synonyms: Adjective

high-pitched, piping, screeching, shrieking, squeaking, squeaky, treble, whistling

Antonyms: Adjective

bass, deep, grave, low, throaty

Examples 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: Adjective

Fanfiction is still dismissed as a serious literary genre, lampooned as something only shrill teen girls write — even though many of those girls grow up to become Hugo-winning authors themselves (who still write fanfiction). — Aja Romano, Vox, "4.7 million fanfics are now Hugo winners, thanks to AO3 and the transformative culture that built it.," 19 Aug. 2019 One set of eggs was placed in a chamber that periodically played the shrill warning calls of adult gulls. — Jennifer Leman, Scientific American, "Bird Embryos Vibrate to Warn One Another of Danger before They Hatch," 22 July 2019 Five, academia became politicized as a shrill agent of cultural transformation rather than focusing on education — while charging more for less learning. — Victor Davis Hanson, The Mercury News, "Hanson: Why are Western middle classes revolting against the elites?," 13 June 2019 Angry women are stigmatized and ste reo typed: shrill wife, crazy ex-girlfriend, feminazi. — Longreads, "Demonology: A Woman’s Right to Fury," 10 June 2019 Nowadays the cry would be taken as a deodorant advertisement, but in that distant past, serving underarm—while providing shrill warning at the same time—was a form of bad sportsmanship cleverly disguised to look like good sportsmanship. — Jon Wertheim, SI.com, "50 Parting Thoughts From the 2019 French Open: Rafa, Barty and So Much More," 9 June 2019 Then came Pam Tanowit’z Batók Ballet (another world premiere), which gave the audience something to think about with its plucky, shrill music (a string quartet named FLUX). — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "The New York City Ballet Starts Its Spring Season With Two World Premieres," 4 May 2019 Tutton was visibly moved during his first mini solo spot, but each member received his own distinct timbre of shrill adulation during the group intros. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Best and worst of Summerfest Day 4: In Real Life, Kaleo, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang and more," 30 June 2018 It’s too easy for politicians looking for a boogeyman to think of reporters as the shrill pundits arguing on TV. — Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, "I’m feeling like a kid in America after the shootings of my fellow journalists," 28 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

With the shrill of whistles breaking either the 8 a.m. or the 4 p.m. quiet on the various campuses, the start time for the respective teams, workouts have now taken on major urgency. — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, "Fall is in the air as Pasadena ISD’s football camps get to work in an urgent way," 7 Aug. 2019 The morning soundtrack is a shrill buzz of electric saws, and at dusk, the amplified broadcast of the town council meeting. — Natalie Keyssar, National Geographic, "How this quiet region in Guatemala became the epicenter of migration," 26 July 2019 With taps running dry, voices are getting shrill and the government, as a band-aid measure, has set aside ten million dollars for a 50-wagon train to ferry 10 million liters (about 3 million gallons) of water every day from the Cauvery to Chennai. — National Geographic, "India’s water crisis could be helped by better building, planning," 15 July 2019 The shrills first arose when the record-signing refused teammate Edinson Cavani the opportunity to make history by not allowing him to take a penalty against Olympique Lyon. — SI.com, "Concerns About Neymar's Long Term PSG Future as Brazilian Finds Appeasing Parisians Challenging," 24 Jan. 2018 Inside a lobby of a downtown Tuscaloosa hotel, the shrill of a phone ring echoes. — Rainer Sabin, AL.com, "How the coach who followed Bear Bryant still has his fingerprints on Alabama," 29 Aug. 2017 Inside are piles of shrill and whining piccolo petes, neon flame-spouting blazing rebels and mounds of sparklers. — Alex Harris, miamiherald, "Under the white tents, fireworks salespeople have big dreams for the money they make," 3 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shrill.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.