Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
shrieking

shrieking

15 3.0
A loud, very high sound like a scream made by a person or animal
  • noun
  • /ˈʃriːkɪŋ/
translation icon : chillido
  • From time to time she passed soldiers driving before them with whips and rifle butts, whole families, men, women and children, shrieking, pleading, wailing.
  • shrieking, screaming
  • sound of shrieking
  • hysterical shrieking

I hear screaming, I hear Stampede, shrieking, screaming.

Examples

  • There was terrible shrieking and wailing coming out of the yard.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The distant shrieking echo continues as they hold there.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The shrieking sounds, this time closer, as it echoes through the ship.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Something was moving around outside, with a loud rasping and shrieking.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Then the shrieking began.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Screaming and shouting mix with the bloodcurdling shrieking of the metal elevator frame against the shaft.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Go away! GET OUT!" As he crept warily into the third-floor hallway, the words dissolved into inarticulate shrieking.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The shrieking of the siren echoed through the night, warning everyone of the approaching storm.

  • Amidst the chaos, the shrieking of frightened children could be heard as they ran away from the loud thunder.

  • There was a shrieking noise coming from the abandoned house that made everyone too scared to go inside.

Synonyms

scream
vsshrieking
596 1.0

A loud high cry made when someone is afraid or hurt

is the broader term for loud high-pitched piercing noises regardless of source
screaming
vsshrieking
92 1.9

A very loud high, piercing noise that hurts the ears

is the general category for such loud high-pitched sounds
screeching
vsshrieking
58 3.3

A very loud high sound that hurts your ears

is the same loud piercing sound but without implying grating harshness
shriek
vsshrieking
43 2.7

A loud high sound showing fear, pain or excitement

is the neutral label for loud high-pitched piercing sounds
screech
vsshrieking
39 2.9

A loud, high, sharp sound that startles people

is similar but may lack the harsh, grating quality
squeal
vsshrieking
34 2.9

A long, high sound showing pain, fear, or strong excitement

is a loud piercing cry that may be shorter and less emotional
yelping
vsshrieking
5 2.6

A short high sound a dog makes when it is hurt or afraid

is broader, covering human and animal high-pitched piercing cries
shrilling
vsshrieking
7.4

A long, very high sound that hurts the ears

is any loud high-pitched cry, not necessarily continuous
ear-piercing scream
vsshrieking
4.6

A very loud, high scream that hurts your ears

is loud and piercing but usually less extreme in effect

Antonyms

silence
660 2.0

A period with no sound or speech

calm
52 1.0

A quiet, peaceful feeling that helps you stay steady

How Loud

screeching
58 3.3
scream
596 1.0
shrieking
15 3.0
squeak
22 1.9
peep
14 1.0

Surface Forms

shrieking singular
shrieking plural

Morphology

shrieking = shriek (transparent) = shriek + ing

A regular deverbal nominalization/gerund formed with the productive suffix '-ing'; the noun meaning is directly derived from the verb 'shriek'.

Etymology

The word shrieking comes from an old English word that meant 'to cry out' and is like the idea in the familiar word scream. So a shrieking sound is a loud, high-pitched cry, which is exactly what the original word described.