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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in shrieking
having a high musical pitch or range
the shrill sound of a policeman's whistle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shrill
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
George Caulkin, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Joe’s voice rose to a shrill cry.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Hazlitt, 20 Dec. 2022
The shrill, yet welcome, sound of children’s laughter fills the air.
—Essence, 23 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for 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
In turn, the tone has changed around Newcastle these past few days; less shrill, less edgy, less perilous.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Joe’s voice rose to a shrill cry.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Noun
There has never been—knock on all wood—a bite, not even when that territorial shih tzu on Fawn Street broke away from its owner and chased us off the block with a shrill, honestly quite aggressive, warning.
—Hazlitt, 20 Dec. 2022
The shrill, yet welcome, sound of children’s laughter fills the air.
—Essence, 23 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for shrill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrill
Verb
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Lyra spent hours running and spinning through the surf, shrieking with joy when the waves caught her.—
Brianna Randall,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
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But in the early days of the Maniacs, everyone swears that Merchant was a shrieking dervish during shows, exorcising her teenage demons on the stage of every bar in the Rust Belt.—
Dan Kois,
Pitchfork,
17 May 2026
Noun
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Once seated, the crowd roared each time a member of the cast walked in, with the biggest screams by far going not to Anderson or co-star Assad Zaman but Eric Bogosian, who at 73 plays the youngest vampire of the season, Daniel Molloy.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
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Literature, in his view, was a susurrus of stifled screams, a missive from the netherworld of the collective imaginary.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Verb
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There are also, naturally, Easter eggs and appearances from several of the TV show’s recurring characters and deep-cut references and lots of stuff that will make the true heads squeal.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
25 May 2026
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There were no odd noises or squealing bearings to indicate the fan was having trouble.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Native to North America, eastern screech-owls are mostly gray, reddish-brown or brown with yellow eyes, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
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This causes a blast of high-energy radiation called a gamma-ray burst (GRB), a final screech of gravitational waves, and sends out a spray of neutron-rich matter, which allows a process to occur that generates very heavy but unstable elements.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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All that progress now comes to a screeching halt while Blue Origin investigates the cause of New Glenn's explosion and faces the task of rebuilding LC-36.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
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The party hadn’t really stopped since the club wrapped up its first Premier League title in 22 years last week, but those celebrations came to a screeching halt after Eberechi Eze and Gabriel both failed to convert from the penalty spot.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Noun
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Others reported a persistent squeak.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
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The only sound coming from the Dodger Stadium visitors’ clubhouse Wednesday night was the squeak of a laundry cart.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Female eagles often repeat a solitary soft but high-pitched note.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
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Noise colors can be high-pitched (rapidly vibrating) sounds, low-pitched (slowly vibrating) sounds, or a combination.—
Laura Kiniry,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Saar yelps in an elevated octave before slipping them on … And not two seconds later kicking them off.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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While a warm, four-bar bassline chugs alongside dubby stabs and bouncy swells, BEA1991’s vocals switch from nonchalant monotone to falsetto in a way that sounds like an involuntary yelp of joy.—
Reid BG,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shrill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrill. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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