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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shrill

3 of 3

noun

as in shriek

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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
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 That trademark indecision of summer takes root in her words and spreads through the music until her vocals diverge in the chorus, peeling like a clementine’s skin as one shrill line scales upward and the other remains monotone. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 21 July 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
  • The addition of the electric guitar, drums and Jack White’s shrieking vocals transformed it into a rock song, while also keeping its signature folksiness.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The other customers cowered in the corners, while crowds formed at the windows outside, shrieking and recording the scene on their phones.
    — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
Definition of shriek
Adjective
  • The government that came soon after brought it all to a screeching, heavily consequential halt.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Cox’s film is biased in Bill’s favor, portraying him as a lapdog whose love for this screeching, spiteful, beady-eyed woman is his great tragic flaw.
    — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of screeching
Noun
  • Back at the Shareholders’ meeting, Rebecca and Higgins fake scream at each other and reveal that the Milk sisters didn’t actually sell their shares to Zelda after all.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Passengers later described screams and confusion as people realized something was seriously wrong.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of scream
Verb
  • Her patient, Maya, who is afraid of doctors and hospitals, squealed with excitement.
    — Deepa Fernandes, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • As soon as Sheeran took the stage, fans inside the stadium squealed and shouted with excitement.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 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
  • Rihanna’s here, maniacal crowds are lining up outside shows to screech and wave at their favorite stars and days of runway events big and small lie ahead.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The screech of guitar feedback echoed from a makeshift stage outside, where a punk-rock band had just launched into their set, a fitting accompaniment to the bar’s kaleidoscopic selection of beer.
    — Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of screech
Noun
  • 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
  • The mice used some of the squeaks within their nests and others on the fringes of their territory.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 3 June 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

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Cite this Entry

“Shrill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrill. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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