shrill
31
4.8
- adjective
- /ʃrɪl/
:
estridente
- The young in the nest issue a shrill, high-pitched cry for food.
- shrill voice
- shrill tone
- shrill whistles
So we hear a scream, like a shrill scream, and we think it must be pain.
- So we hear a scream, like a shrill scream, and we think it must be pain.
- Wagner described the sound of the Jewish voice as hissing and shrill and buzzing and grunting.
- I let out the shrillest, most high pitched scream I ever have in my life.
Examples
-
It sounds really shrill and very high pitched.
-
I'm brought suddenly back to the here and now by the shrill, argumentative voice of the phone.
Academic text (1999) -
So we hear a scream, like a shrill scream, and we think it must be pain.
-
Sometimes it's peaceful, sometimes it's a shrill scream.
-
The child's voice is very shrill when she gets upset.
-
The women swooped and called, and the wind carried away their shrill voices as well.
Fiction book (1990) -
Her voice sounds shrill but bold and defiant, too loud in the empty room.
Fiction book (1992) -
Then I heard Irene's voice, loud and shrill, followed by Marilyn's, deeper, but shouting nevertheless.
Academic text (2009) -
Drifting in and out of consciousness, Bethany listened to the siren's shrill wail and longed deeply for her mother.
Academic text (2011) -
The child's voice is very shrill when she gets upset.
Synonyms
67
1.3
Making a high, sharp sound like a mouse or hinge
41
3.7
A sound or voice that is very high and sharp
22
7.2
Very loud and harsh in a way that feels unpleasant
20
6.1
A loud, harsh sound that feels unpleasant and surprising
18
3.2
A high piercing sound that hurts the ears
1
7.2
Making a very high, loud, annoying sound that hurts your ears
1
8.2
Very loud and high in sound like a scream
1
4.1
A high, sharp sound made by a mouse or brakes
1
7.5
A loud harsh sound like a bird's cry that is unpleasant
Antonyms
How High-Pitched
Surface Forms
Etymology
Shrill is related to old English words like shriek and scream, which mean a 'sharp' or 'high' sound, so a shrill noise is one that pierces the ear and is hard to ignore.