shrill 1 of 3

verb

ˈshril How to pronounce shrill (audio)
Definition of shrillnext
as in to shriek
to cry out loudly and emotionally the mud-splattered bystanders were shrilling with outrage at the inconsiderate motorist

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shrill

2 of 3

adjective

as in shrieking
having a high musical pitch or range the shrill sound of a policeman's whistle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shrill

3 of 3

noun

as in shriek

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shrill
Verb
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s increasingly shrill brand of Hindu nationalism has inflamed religious animosity within the country. — Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, 9 June 2022 Each of the four movements Thursday traced a giant decrescendo, coming on strong with cacophonous, often shrill music and slowly ebbing away in a dazzling variety of textures and colors, all of them sparse and serene. — Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 7 Jan. 2022
Adjective
The shrill call of the shofar ensures no one falls asleep during lengthy Jewish High Holy Day services each year. — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026 Amid the rumblings of construction at nearby David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, the sound of a shrill whistle and chopping feet at the nearby Murfin Family Practice Fields signaled one thing. — Christian Marshall, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026
Noun
What's more, this door alarm features three sensitivity levels and emits a loud shrill that will instantly scare an intruder away. — Stephanie Gray, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2025 The cheering was so loud that even ear plugs wouldn’t have masked the shrill. — Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 11 Aug. 2023 See All Example Sentences for shrill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrill
  1. shriek
  2. screeching
  3. scream
  4. squeal
  5. high-pitched
  6. screech
  7. squeak
  8. yelp
Verb
  • Children crowded the play areas, despite the damp, gray weather, shrieking with joy (and in one instance, crying).
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026
  • This power plant is Mercedes-AMG’s new-generation M177 EVO, enhanced and enlivened by a flat-plane crankshaft, a feature normally associated with shrieking supercar engines.
    — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of shriek
Adjective
  • The Chinese government back then took NBA games off state television, apparel was removed from stores, and decades of growth for the league in China ground to a screeching halt.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • In the bystander’s footage from behind, a screeching noise is heard before the Tahoe jolts forward.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of screeching
Noun
  • On the title track Chen reaches for the psaltery (a kind of zither without frets), creating a meandering, medieval atmosphere whose ubiquitous electronic background buzz foreshadows the biting screams and blistering bass to come.
    — James Gui, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026
  • After Pan announced that Kiley had called him to concede, the attendees at his election night event at Frends Brewhouse erupted into joyful screams, applause and eventually chanted his name.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of scream
Verb
  • This time of year, the ranch’s Duroc, Hampshire and Berkshire cross hogs are paddocked along a slough, grunting and squealing under the canopy of oak and walnut trees.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Try not to squeal like a 5-year-old when the foot-tall sparkler speared into the sundae is lit.
    — Lisa Shames, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeal
Adjective
  • Female eagles often repeat a solitary soft but high-pitched note.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Noise colors can be high-pitched (rapidly vibrating) sounds, low-pitched (slowly vibrating) sounds, or a combination.
    — Laura Kiniry, Popular Science, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of high-pitched
Noun
  • Subject county officials to the horrible, 24/7 screech that large data centers emit.
    — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The screech of electric saws and pounding of nails into plywood are now background noise in the French capital.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of screech
Noun
  • Every wiggle and wobble, every snuffle and squeak of six newborn puppies snuggling together in Finland is captured by cameras monitoring their development in the first weeks of their lives.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Nestled deep among the wads of shredded paper and other bric-a-brac, the occupants made not a squeak, concealed to anyone who looked through the carrier’s door.
    — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of squeak
Noun
  • Then the day came, two weeks before a drop-dead deadline on a final draft of a novel, when the pain was yelp-out-loud excruciating in any position other than lying flat on the floor, or standing.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The second slide was a video (without sound) of the couple’s first kiss, which King prefaced with what looked like a howl of joy, followed by a series of passionate kisses and an arms-in-the-air yelp from the groom.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of yelp

Browse Nearby Words

shrieks
shrill
shrilled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shrill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrill. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of abandon

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All